The Academy for 
Princes 

By O. M. NORL1E 




Class LC574 

Book____iMio_ . 

Copyright^? 



COEffilGKT BEPCSIR 



The Academy for 
Princes 



"Now are We the sons of God*'. — 1 John 3:2. 
' ' Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 
I have commanded you. " — Matt. 28:20. 



BY 



OLAF M. NORLIE 



AUGSBURG PUBLISHING HOUSE 

MINNEAPOLIS 

1917 






Copyright, 1917, by 
O. M. NORLIE 

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 



JAN -8 1917 

©CIA455033 






Dedicated 

To My Mother 

Mrs. Martha Karoline Juel Norlie, 
in memory of years of prayer, toil 
and sacrifice that I might get a 
princely training. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. THE PRINCES. 

Chapter One (1) Their Sonship 7-14 

Chapter Two (2) Their Heritage 15-23 

Chapter Three (3) Their Work 24-34 

Chapter Four (4) Their Character 35- 41 

Chapter Five (5) Their Destiny 42-48 



PART II. THE MEANS OF TRAINING. 

Chapter Six (1) The Word of God 

Chapter Seven (2) Prayer 

Chapter Eight ..... (3) Study 

Chapter Nine . . . 



49- 
59- 



(4) Application 71- 



Chapter Ten (5) Effects 



83- 



58 
65 
70 
82 
89 



PART III. THE TIME TO TRAIN. 



Chapter Eleven . . 
Chapter Twelve . 
Chapter Thirteen 
Chapter Fourteen 
Chapter Fifteen . 



(1) At Home . : , 90-105 

(2) In Childhood 106-119 

(3) In Youth 120-126 

(4) At Confirmation 127-137 

(5) In General 138-145 



PART IV. THE COST OF TRAINING. 



Chapter Sixteen 



. . (1) In Comparison with 

Blooded Stock 146-159 

. . (2) In Comparison with War 160-171 
. . (3) In Comparison with 

"Coffin Nails" 172-181 

. . (4) In Comparison with 

System 182-202 

. . (5) In Comparison with 

Sacrifice 203-227 

Norwegian Lutheran Academies 228-229 

Map of Location of Academies 230 

Books by O. M. Norlie 231-238 

Articles on Religious Education by O. M. Norlie... 239-240 



Chapter Seventeen 
Chapter Eighteen . 

Chapter Nineteen . 

Chapter Twenty . . 




A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS AND THE GREAT TEACHER. 

"He leadeth me." 



Chapter One. 
THE SONSHIP OF THE PRINCES. 

[Note. Morgan, Boby and Willis, guests at Danielson's.] 

Morgan: "What do you think of the sermon this 
morning, Mr. Danielson?" 

Danielson : "It was very good. According to cus- 
tom I had looked over the Gospel text last week, and 
had meditated on it and wondered what the pastor was 
going to say this morning from the pulpit. I prayed 
that he might give us all a good hearty Gospel mes- 
sage, and I w T as not disappointed. This is, in fact, the 
way I feel every time I hear Pastor Halm preach/' 

Morgan : "You are right ; Halm is a splendid 
preacher." 

Willis : "Oh, he will do ; but he is rather too much 
of a dreamer to speak on practical subjects for busy 
every-day people. His sermon today was sweet and 
idealistic. It was what I would call taffy. We need 
solid food, too/' 

Boby : "I do not quite agree with you there, Mr. 
Willis. As a man of affairs there is nothing that suits 
me so much as practical topics and practical things ; 
but I am broad enough to admit the ideal is of more 
importance ; therefore, I like to hear it, and I, myself, 
try to hold it forth in season and out of season/' 

Willis: "You are welcome to it." 

Danielson : "If you will excuse me I will ask you 
to examine the sermon a moment to see whether it 
w r as not highly practical as w 7 ell as thoroughly ideal. 
What does ideal mean, Professor Boby?" 

Boby: "Ideal comes from a word which means to 
see. It is a form we have in our mind, the product 



8 The Academy for Princes 

of our thought and imagination, and it is apt to be 
more perfect than the real thing." 

Danielson : "What does practical mean?" 

Boby: "Practical comes from a word which means 
to do or to carry out in a systematic manner." 

Danielson : "It seems to me, then, that ideal and 
practical go hand in hand. Ideal tells what ought to 
be done ; practice is doing it accordingly. It is non- 
sense to talk about practice without ideal. Every- 
body has some ideal, although not everybody has the 
best or the right one. When I went to. school my 
teacher in arithmetic told me how to work problems. 
There were 4 steps : first, find out what is given ; 
second, find out what you want to find ; third, find out 
how to find it; and fourth, find it. This fourth step 
I call practice; the other steps I call ideal." 

Morgan : "How does that apply to the pastor's 
sermon?" 

Danielson : "That is easy. The pastor spoke 
about Mary at the feet of Jesus, and made plain the 
fact that 'one thing is needful' — to sit at Jesus' feet 
and hear His Word. He made plain also that Mary 
was a child of God and was entitled to learn about her 
Heavenly Father and His will. Here we have the 
arithmetical problem : first, something given — a child 
of God ; second, something to be found — the knowl- 
edge of God ; third, the way to find it — sitting at His 
feet; fourth, doing it. The application is easy." 

Morgan : "Danielson is right, Mr. Willis ; but the 
pastor's application was less happy." 

Boby: "It was good." 

Danielson : "It was immense. He said we were 
princes and princesses, real children of God. Here we 
have something given. Then he said that as royal 
persons we ought to receive a royal training. Here 



The Sonship of the Princes 9 

we have something to find. He went on to say that 
the training of the sons and daughters will never be 
royal until they take time to sit at the feet of Jesus, 
to learn His Word — here we have a theoretical 
method, yet thoroughly practical. Finally, he asked 
if we would not come oftener and more devoutly to 
church, read His Word more faithfully and send our 
children to schools that taught God's Word in truth 
and purity as part of their program, and the chief ex- 
cuse for their foundation and continuation. " 

Willis : "He made me rile up in my seat. His 
sermon was an unprovoked attack upon our glorious 
public schools, the best institution we have in this 
great land. It makes me furious to hear all these 
preachers brag of the church schools and run down 
the public schools. Why don't they take their chil- 
dren out of the public schools and send them only to 
church schools if they are going to practise what they 
preach? No, they are too wise for that. They tell me 
to send my children to church schools. Why? So 
that they can keep the schools running and manufac- 
ture a few more preachers to fill the ranks ; but you do 
not catch them sending their own children there. " 

Danielson: "I beg your pardon. You are mis- 
taken, sir. Pastor Halm has not attacked the public 
schools. He was simply speaking of an ideal and a 
practical education. In accordance with his views he 
has sent his own children to the parochial school and 
two of them already to the church academy. As for 
the rest of the clergy, I imagine that they are more 
or less of the same mind and action as our own be- 
loved pastor." 

Willis : "Well, I am not going to send my children 
to some little poverty-stricken church academy when 
I have a $40,000 high school building within eight 
miles of my house," 



10 



The Academy for Princes 



Boby (wishing to change the subject) : "Excuse 
me, Mrs. Danielson. May I ask whose picture that 
is hanging on the wall?" 

Mrs. Danielson: "Don't you know? That is the 
likeness of the royal house of Norway. You know I 
was born in the old country and am what they call a 
hyphenate. The hyphen binds me to all that is good 




PRINCE OLAV AND HIS FIRST TEACHERS. 



and true in the land of my fathers, and it causes me 
great pain that it has now become a term of reproach. 
Naturally I love the royal family of Norway, especially 
the sweet Prince Olav, and his picture brings to my 
mind many kind thoughts of things and times across 
the sea. I hardly need to add that I do not think less 
of America on account of this bond of affection." 

Danielson : "I wonder if Prince Olav will get a 
royal training." 



The Sonship of the Princes 1 1 

Morgan : "You can be sure that he will get the best 
training of any lad in Norway." 

Willis: "I w T ish my boys were in his shoes." 

Danielsox : "Will he be taught the laws of the 
realm and the will of his father?" 

Morgan : "Yes, and the best of everything every- 
where." 

Willis : "Then he will have private tutors be- 
sides." 

Danielson : "We agree on this that he will have 
more training than the ordinary child can acquire. 
He will have the best of everything everywhere, in- 
cluding private teachers in addition. But the best of 
everything anywhere is within the reach of even our 
children, besides the best of private teachers ; for the 
best of everything anywhere is the knowledge of the 
Word of God, and the best of private teachers are 
father and mother, and everyone of our children can 
get the Word of God taught right at home. In addi- 
tion to that they can continue this study in church 
and in church schools. We have the Bible and cate- 
chisms and Christian books and church papers of every 
kind and full freedom to read them." 

Willis : "We hear so much about the Bible and its 
excellency, but w T hy don't people read it then? The 
people I know read only newspapers and novels." 

Morgan : "Hardly that bad. Some of us try to 
read the Bible too, and w r e can testify to the fact that 
it is the Good Book, without a peer." 

Danielson : "I am afraid we are getting away from 
the text, or at least the point of the sermon. The 
first question is whether or not w T e are the sons of 
God. I have been taught to believe that we became 
His children at Baptism, and that it is better to be His 
child than to be the Prince of Norway or Wales." 



12 The Academy for Princes 

Boby: "That is the view we all ought to have, but 
think too little of. The Bible in many places states 
v r ery clearly that we are the sons of God. I can recall 
such a passage now from Phil. 2: 15. The Apostle 
says : 'Do all things without murmurings and dis- 
putings : That ye may be blameless and harmless, 
the §ons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a 
crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine 
as lights in the world ; holding forth the Word of 
life/ " 

Morgan: "I can think of a passage in John 1: 12- 
13: 'But as many as received Him, to them gave He 
power to become the sons of God, even to them that 
believe on His name : which were born, not of blood, 
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but 
of God/" 

Mrs. Danielson : "I can think of still another pas- 
sage on the sonship, — in Gal. 4: 4: 'But when the ful- 
ness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son 
made of woman, made under the Law, to redeem them 
that were under the Law, that we might receive the 
adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath 
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, cry- 
ing, Abba, Father/ " 

Willis: "Oh, I have heard this before. It looks 
nice enough on paper, but it is not very practical. I 
do not believe that we are really the sons of God." 

Danielson : "But the Bible does say that we are 
sons of God. In John 3: 1-2 we read: 'Behold, what 
manner of love^the Father hath bestowed upon us, 
that we should be called the sons of God : therefore 
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. 
Beloved, now are we the sons of God/ This is what 
the Scripture says, and this word is true, and we 
should believe it and use it as such, just as we use the 



The Sonship of the Princes 13 

multiplication table or any other rule of action. Now 
if we are the sons of God, the question is, should we 
be trained as such?" 

Morgan : ''That is easier said than done." 

Danielson : "But the Great Teacher before depart- 
ing from His disciples commanded : 'Go ye therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; 
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you/ " 

Willis: "That is an impossibility. Nobody takes 
that command seriously." 

Danielson: "Some do. Besides it is not an im- 
possibility; for Jesus prefaces the command with the 
words, 'All power is given unto Me, in Heaven and 
on earth' ; and He concludes the command with the 
promise, 'Lo, I am with you alw T ays, even unto the 
end of the w r orld. Amen/ We know that it seems 
impossible to us, but we know all things are possible 
with God, and He has promised to help ; all His 
promises are yea and amen in Christ Jesus/ ' 

Boby: "Danielson is right." 

Danielson: "The third step is how to get this 
knowledge of God, and here the pastor today made it 
so clear that we cannot misunderstand. It is to sit 
at the feet of Jesus, and hear His Word, and if we- do 
that we have taken the fourth step." 

Willis: "Well, I was at church today and I sup- 
pose I, too, have taken that step." 

Danielson : "Of course, it is not enough if we 
simply go to church. The pastor said we should also 
gladly sit at His feet at home, and that we should also 
send our children to Christian schools." 

Willis : "Excuse me." 



14 



The Academy for Princes 



Morgan : "If these church schools were not only 
such small affairs. " 

Danielson: "The Pharisees objected to Jesus be- 
cause He had not gone through their schools. Yet 
they had to admit that He had a pretty good educa- 
tion just the same, and this education He had got at 
home. He did not have the advantage that we have 
of having in addition to home training also Christian 
schools to help out the home. The King of Norway 
will not send his son to a school because of the size 
of the building, I imagine, but he will send him to a 
school where he can learn what he ought to learn so 
that he can get a training suitable to a prince/' 

Boby: "Time is flying. I have to bid you good- 
bye, dear friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the discus- 
sion/' 

Morgan : "I have to go home and do the chores/^ 

Willis : "I, too, had better go home and look after 
my stock. Call on me some time." 



Chapter Two. 
THEIR HERITAGE. 

[Danielson is hauling grain to market ; passing Morgan's place he is 
hailed by Morgan.] 

Morgan : "Hello, Neighbor. Are you going to 
town?" 

Danielson : "Hello there. Yes. Do you want a 
ride?" 

Morgan : "That is just what I was going to ask 
about, but you have already a pretty stiff load." 

Danielson: "No. It is only oats. Grain is light 
this year. Get on if you are ready." 

Morgan: "I am ready." (He jumps on.) 

Danielson : "I am very glad to have you along to- 
day. I had intended to come over and have a talk 
with you, but now I won't need to make an extra trip, 
for we can talk right here as the horses are jogging 
along." 

Morgan: "I won't mind if you make an extra trip 
to our house ; but what is on your mind today, may 
I ask?" 

Danielson : "Well, it is this. I have a girl that is 
going to the academy this fall, and you have a girl 
that you intend to send to high school. Why not 
send your Louisetta along with my Julia to the aca- 
demy?" 

Morgan : "No. I can't to that. I have, myself, as 
you know, attended the academy, but I have not real- 
ized my ambitions and hopes from that training, and, 
therefore, I will let my children profit by my costly 
experience. They shall attend high school and con- 
tinue, if possible, at the state university." 



16 The Academy for Princes 

Danielson : "What were your hopes and am- 
bitions ?" 

Morgan : "I had hoped and even expected that the 
world would be quite glad to give a graduate of a 
Christian school a ready welcome, and in time an 
honored place in society ; but I soon found, to my 
sorrow, that nobody cared a rap whether I had an 
academy diploma or not. I had hoped by means of 
this education to be able to make a good living and 
lay up considerable money, but I had to go begging 
to get the meanest job along side of Dagoes and other 
unskilled and uneducated new-comers, and even to- 
day, after many years of faithful toil and frugality, 
I am no better off than the average man without a day 
of schooling. My friends, on the other hand, who 
went to high school or business college, are most of 
them making much more money and are well fixed. " 

Danielson : "I am not yet convinced that your 
high school friends are any richer or better off than 
you. You have now a good home and you have al- 
ways had your daily bread and more besides. Our 
Savior warned His disciples that 'A man's life con- 
sisteth not in the abundance of the things he pos- 
sesseth/ " 

Morgan: "That may be true, but it does not really 
fit in with our times. I have always felt sore in 
thinking that Christians shall always be poor. It 
seems that the best way to get along in this world is 
to be as little of a Christian as possible/' 

Danielson : "You certainly do not mean what you 
say; at least you cannot have carefully weighed your 
words. You remember the words of Asaph, Ps. 73 : 
'For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the pros- 
perity of the wicked .... All day long I was plagued 
and chastened every morning/ " 



Their Heritage 17 

Morgan : "That sounds all right when you are 
making money readily ; but it has never sounded 
natural to me, and I don't want my children to stand 
as many hard knocks as I have had to." 

Danielson : "Listen to Jesus in Gethsemane : 'Not 
My will be done, but Thine/ " 

Morgan: "Why should my namesake, J. P. Mor- 
gan, with his banks, railroads, mines and ammunition 
factories and what not, control almost absolutely the 
fiscal, commercial and political policy of our country, 
w T hile my voice, were I even a prophet from on high, 
would not be listened to outside of my own family 
circle? I read today that since the court decided 
against the oil king he has been making a clear profit 
of $66,000,000 a year. Now why should he without 
w T ork be piling up his millions while the common 
people with unceasing toil can scarcely keep body and 
soul together?" 

Danielson : "I do not know, but I do know that 
the Lord is good and satisfieth my mouth with good 
things : 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all 
His benefits.' " 

Morgan : "You argued yesterday that we are the 
sons of God, that is, that w T e are real princes. Do 
princes have to slave?" 

Danielson : "Well, Christ was a prince, and we 
are told that : 'Although He thought it not robbery to 
be equal with God, He made Himself of no reputation 
and took upon Him the form of a servant and was 
made in the likeness of man ; and being found in 
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became 
obedient unto death/ " 

Morgan: "I was not speaking about Christ." 

Danielson : "Christian means like Christ. As 
Christ, so the Christian : 'Whosoever will be chief 






18 The Academy for Princes 

among you, let him be your servant/ 'It is enough 
for the disciple to be as his Master, and the servant 
to be as his Lord/ " 

Morgan : "Still I think there is something wrong 
in this, that some shall be so rich and others so poor." 

Danielson: "The Lord is good to all, even to the 
ungodly: 'He maketh His sun rise on the evil and 
on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the un- 
just/ " 

Morgan: "It seems that He is kindest to the evil/' 

Danielson : "The Lord is good to all, but espe- 
cially to His own children: Behold His care for His 
Chosen People and their peace and prosperity when 
obedient to Him ; behold the wealth of the Christian 
nations and their welfare and happiness when walking 
in His ways." 

Morgan : "But good people cannot become million- 
aires." 

Danielson : "Abraham and David were not merely 
millionaires, but billionaires. There have always been 
godly rich as well as godly poor. Men may become 
wealthy, though Christian, if God in His wisdom per- 
mits them to run the risk connected with great riches. 
Good people have little need of amassing temporal 
fortunes. We are the heirs of the ages and of eternity. 
— Said the Psalmist: 'The Lord is my Shepherd; I 
shall not want !' With such a shepherd what does a 
sheep have of worrying about the green pastures; 
with such a father what need does a -child in his 
father's house 3 have of striving to lay aside for the 
morrow? Again the Psalmist said: T have been 
young and now I am old ; yet have I not seen the 
righteous nor his seed begging bread/ The Bible 
commands us to work in the sweat of our brow: Tf 
any would not work, neither should he eat'; but it 



Their Heritage 19 

commands us not to worry. 'Behold the fowls of the 
air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather 
in barns : yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. 
Are ye not much better than they? .... Take, there- 
fore, no thought for the morrow. Sufficient unto the 
day is the evil thereof/ " 

Morgan: "Does the Bible sav that we should not 
work?" 

Danielson : "No. 'Work while it is day ; the night 
cometh when no man can work/ It commands us not 
to worry about the future : 'Casting all your care 
upon Him, for He careth for you/ " 

Morgan: "Here we are in town already. It seems 
that time w r ent pretty fast today." 

Danielson : "You will ride with me home, I pre- 
sume." 

Morgan : "Yes, thank you." 



Danielson (on the return trip) : "Oats brought 
a good price today. I am thankful ; for I need much 
money in these w r ar times, especially when I have to 
keep so many youngsters in school." 

Morgan: "Don't you ever worry?" 

Danielson : "Oh, I sin daily in this matter, and 
sometimes I am sorely tempted to take the advice 
of Job's wife — to curse God and die ; but His Spirit 
always enlightens my mind by presenting before it 
some of His precious precepts and promises, and dis- 
pelling the darkness and mists of doubt and worry." 

Morgan : "When I listen to your quotations from 
Scripture I must confess that you make my unbeliev- 
ing and fearful heart feel good, but I am still not 
strong enough to rally as you do." 



20 The Academy for Princes 

Danielson: "I, too, am fearfully weak. My 
strength is alone from the Lord : 

" 'Stood we alone in our own might, 
Our striving would be losing ; 
For us the one true Man doth fight, 
The Man of God's own choosing.' 

But, speaking about possessions, I dwell on some 
of the Bible passages on the subject and in 
this way the good Lord helps me out of my anxieties. 
Just think of it ! He has promised to care for us as 
a shepherd cares for his sheep, as a father provides 
for his little children. He has warned us not to worry 
about temporal things, 'not to lay up treasures for 
ourselves on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt 
and where thieves break through and steal, but to lay 
up treasures in Heaven ; to seek first the 'Kingdom of 
God and His righteousness/ He has promised then 
that all these temporal things will be added unto us. 
He has urged us to pray to Him with full confidence, 
even as children ask their dear father for something, 
and He has promised to hear all our prayers for the 
sake of Christ." 

Morgan : "You know many Bible verses, Daniel- 
son." 

Danielson : "In helping my children learn their 
catechisms and in reading the Bible at family devo- 
tion I have been trying to learn some of the choicest 
verses ; but I begin to realize more and more every 
day that these jewels are so bewilderingly many that 
I will only be .able to gather but a small handful. 
They are as numerous as the stars in the heavens, 
and as the sands on the seashore and all freely given ; 
but when I am trying to learn these verses I meditate 
on them during my work and at night. I grow more 
into the spirit of the hymn that we so often sing at 



Their Heritage 21 

church : 'The Word of God, our heritage, our chil- 
dren shall inherit/ That is why I have sent Nicholas 
and Mary to the academy and am going to send Julia 
this fall." 

Morgan : "Here we are at my place. Come in and 
have a cup of coffee. " 

Danielson : "That will be fine. How do you do, 
Mrs. Morgan. Greetings from house to house. I have 
come to drink up all your coffee. " - 

Mrs. Morgan: "You are welcome. The coffee is 
ready, waiting for you/' 

Morgan: "What have you there, Louisetta?" 

Louisetta Morgan : "It is a picture by W. L. Tay- 
lor that I clipped out of 'The Ladies' Home Journal/ 
It is called 'When I Consider Thy Heavens/ I 
thought it w r as fine and wanted to save it." 

Danielson: "It is wonderful. Morgan, does not 
this picture illustrate what we have been talking 
about. 'When I consider Thy heavens, the work of 
Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast 
ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, 
and the son of man that Thou visitest him ; yet Thou 
hast made Him a little lower than the angels and hast 
crowned Him with glory and honor/ " 

Morgan: "You are right, Danielson/' 

Danielson : "How often we have stood like David 
in the starlight without thinking David's thoughts, 
and yet we have been just as exalted, and in reality 
just as rich as w T as he. David in the picture is but a 
shepherd boy, not the king and billionaire that he came 
to be later on. Nor have we come into our inherit- 
ance described by Peter when writing to the perse- 
cuted Christians of his scattered flock as: 'Incorrupt- 
ible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved 
in Heaven for us' ; on account of which we should 




"WHEN I CONSIDER THY HEAVENS." 

From painting by W. L. Taylor. Copyright and by courtesy of "The 
Ladies' Home Journal." For sale in art print form by Edward Gross Co., 
877 Broadway, New York City, $1.50. For sale in art print form (The 
Copley Print) by Curtis & Cameron, Price Bldg., Boston. Copyright 
and by courtesy of Edward Gross Co. and Curtis & Cameron. 



Their Heritage 23 

rejoice in our treasures. 'The Spirit itself beareth 
witness with our spirit that we are the children of 
God ; and if children, then heirs : heirs of God, and 
joint heirs with Christ/ and we know that it is His 
wish, that we shall have all things with Him ; that 
we shall live and reign with Him, righteous and holy 
in all eternity/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Have another cup of coffee. This 
is the S. H. Holstad kind." 

Danielson: "No, not this time, thank you. Hol- 
stad's is good coffee, and Mrs. Morgan is a fine cook, 
but I have had my fill. Another time. Say, Louisetta, 
would vou like to go to the academy with Julia this 
fall?" 

Louisetta (embarrassed) : "I would like to be 
with Julia, but I am going to high school, you know." 

Danielson : "Yes, I know. Well, friends, I have 
to be off. Chores, you know." 



Chapter Three. 
THEIR WORK. 

Danielson (at the phone) : "Hello, Morgan. You 
have not forgotten about the lecture tonight at our 
church? Prof. Svein is to speak. He is a good lec- 
turer and you must be sure to come together with 
your whole family/' 

Morgan : "I have not forgotten ; but it has been 
a rather toilsome day for me, and I have decided to 
stay at home. Besides Wife is sick and cannot come." 

Danielson : "Oh, come on. You take in the lec- 
ture and tell her what you remember of it when you 
return/' 

Morgan : "I don't like to, but I shall try to come 
anyway." (Hangs up receiver.) "Say, Louisetta, you 
and Joey had better get ready to go with me to hear 
Prof. Svein." 

Louisetta: "I don't want to go. I perfectly detest 
those dry preachers and professors." 

Morgan: "This one is not dry. Besides he might 
say something which would give you a desire to go 
to his academy." 

Louisetta: "Have I not told you time and again 
that I did not want to go to an academy? The high 
school is good enough for me ; and have not you said 
all the time that you did not want me to go to the 
academy? The high school is better for me." 

Morgan : "I guess you are the boss all right." 

Louisetta: "I have been told that the boys who 
go to the academy nearly all become preachers, and 
the girls become preachers' wives or missionaries. 
Believe me, Dad, to become a preacher's wife is the 



Their Work 25 

last thing I would do on this earth, and a missionary 
I will never become." 

Joey : "I want to be an engineer and build rail- 
roads in East Africa, for they need them there." 

Morgan : "Well, I am going alone, then, if nobody 
wants to go along w T ith me. Goodbye, Anna, I will 
tell you what I can remember of the lecture when I 
get back." 

Morgan (two hours later) : "My, but you folks did 
miss a rare treat. The professor w T as a regular cy- 
clone that destroyed all our pet theories and well es- 
tablished buildings. He was a perfect machine gun as 
to facts and they went straight to the mark, and they 
laid out every last one of us, even Willis. Talk about 
w T it, humor, poetry, philosophy, theory and applica- 
tion ; his lecture contained all of these things in happy 
proportion. I could not, to save my life, give justice 
to one-tenth of his thoughts; but since I promised 
to tell you something about his lecture I shall try." 

Louisetta : "Whew ! We must have missed some- 
thing." 

Joey : "We are waiting." 

Morgan : "The speaker chose as his text, Luke 2 : 
49: 'Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's 
business? And they understood not the same which 
He spake unto them/ His theme w T as, 'The Father's 
Business Is Also His Children's/ He first spoke about 
the Father's business in this w^orld : 'To seek and to 
save that which is lost.' He classified the human race 
into three large groups according to the sons of Noah, 
the Semitic group, the Japhetic group, and the 
Hametic group. He said that the Semitic group con- 
sisted principally of two peoples, the Jews, about 
12,000,000 in number, and the Arabians, about 



26 The Academy for Princes 

120,000,000 in number. The Japhetic race consisted 
of several large families of nations : in Asia, the Hin- 
doos and Persians ; in Europe, the Greeks, Romans, 
Celts, Teutons, Slavs and others. The Greek is rep- 
resented by the modern Greeks ; the Roman, by the 
Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, French and Rouma- 
nians; the Celtic by the Irish, Scotch and Welsh; the 
Teutonic by the English, Dutch, Germans and Scandi- 
navians; and the Slavic by the Russians, Poles, Bo- 
hemians, Serbs, Bulgars and others. The total popula- 
tion of the Japhetic race is about 700,000,000. The 
Hametic race consisted of only a few nations, but 
many tribes, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues. 
Some of the Hametic are white, such as the Hungari- 
ans, but most of them are some other color. The 
Chinese are yellow, the Malagasy are brown, the Ne- 
groes are black and the Indians are red. The popula- 
tion of the Hametic race is nearly 1,000,000,000. 
Every person born to this earth is dear to the Lord, 
and purchased at a great price, destined to come to 
the knowledge of truth and be eternally saved. It is 
the will of the Father that not one of His little ones 
shall be lost. 'He is long suffering to us-ward, not 
willing that any should perish, but that all should 
come to repentance/ The professor painted in vivid 
colors the prevalence of sin everywhere and the pres- 
ence of misery at home as well as abroad ; and we felt 
— at least, I did — that the Father's business, even here 
on earth, was very great indeed. 

"Then he went on to describe the Savior, and he 
had chosen this text upon which to base his descrip- 
tion. He had along a large Hoffmann painting of Je- 
sus in the presence of the Jewish doctors in the 
temple, on which occasion these words were spoken : 
'Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's busi- 
ness?' The professor made the point that Jesus, the 




JESUS AND THE DOCTORS. 



28 The Academy for Princes 

Son of God, had laid it upon His people to know the 
will of God and the Word of God. Although only 12 
years of age He astonished those who heard Him at 
His understanding, answers and questions. He dwelt 
a long time on this point, how Jesus Who was per- 
fectly human, just as we, though more than human 
at the same time, must have had to work and study 
to learn the Word of God as well as we do. There 
is no royal road to learning, though there is learning 
which royalty must acquire. In His case it was much 
more profitable to the world that He was acquainted 
with the Word of God, than if He had been a prodigy 
in arithmetic, penmanship or the ancient history of 
Babylonia. The professor went on to describe His 
attitude to the world: Tt was His meat to do the 
Will of Him that sent Him, and to do His work/ 
'Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became 
poor, that we through His poverty might be rich/ 
Then the professor went on to describe how with this 
training and this attitude He went about doing His 
Father's business. Then he sought to describe the 
condition of the world if the Savior had not come; 
and I must confess, that although I had heard this 
described many times before, I had not understood 
the saying as I did tonight : 'To be about our Father's 
business/ I understood better also the Bible passage : 
'And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain. Ye 
are yet in sin ; then they also which are fallen asleep 
in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have 
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable; but 
now is Christ risen from the dead and become the 
first fruits of them that slept/ You remember that 
this was the text that Pastor Halm spoke on at the 
funeral of Esten Baardsen last Saturday. The profes- 
sor continued. He said we became the children of 
God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, our elder Brother, 



Their Work 



29 



when we were baptized. It is also our business to 
walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to try to become 
like Him, being of the same mind as He, and growing 
up to His stature. It would then be part of our busi- 
ness to learn the Scriptures and to practise them, tor 
practising was the best w r ay of learning, as Jesus said 
to the Pharisees who disputed with Him: 'If any 
man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine 
whether it be of God or whether I speak of Myself/ 
"He held that every one of us who has been 
adopted into the household of God should be about 
our Father's business, witnessing for the truth in Je- 
sus, which shall make men free indeed. He took as 
an illustration from the Old Testament the case of 
Moses. He had been trained in the faith of his fathers 
and in all the knowledge of Egypt, at that time the 
most cultured and powerful nation in the world. He 
longed to help his people, although he had been 
adopted as a prince of Egypt, and might on that ac- 
count have sided with the Egyptian oppressors. In 
seeking to help one of his countrymen, he killed an 
Egyptian, showing his willingness, thereby, to help 
his people ; but he w 7 as not well enough trained yet 
to do the great task that the Lord was going to call 
him to perform. The Lord, therefore, took him aside 
for 40 years into the Desert of Midian, where he had 
occasion to meditate, and w T here the Lord appeared to 
him again and called him to free his people from 
bondage. Six times did Moses find an excuse for not 
accepting the call ; but finally he yielded. Therefore, 
we read in Hebrews 11 — (please hand me the Bible, 
Joey, and I will find it). Hebrews 11:24-25: 'By 
faith Moses, w T hen he was come to years, refused to 
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing 
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than 
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming 



30 The Academy for Princes 

the reproach of Christ greater riches than the trea- 
sures in Egypt/ Now supposing that Moses had not 
had the training and attitude which he did ; what a 
loss it would have been to the world ! He has im- 
pressed himself on the whole world, particularly on 
all, who have heard the Word of God; and his work 
will stand with time. His is one of the most blessed 
and inspiring records among men, while the work 
of all the Pharaohs may readily be forgotten without 
much loss to mankind. 

"From the New Testament he also gave an illustra- 
tion in the case of Paul. Here in Philippians 
3 : 7-8 I read concerning Paul's attitude : 'But 
what things were gain to me, those I counted loss 
for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things 
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus, my Lord : for Whom I have suffered the loss of 
all things, and do count them but dung, that I may 
win Christ, and be found in Him/ With this attitude 
and with such an intimate knowledge of Christ as 
Paul had, he set out into the hostile world to do his 
Father's business. No wonder, then, that he could 
say in defense of himself that he was a worker to- 
gether with Christ, 'giving no offense in anything, 
that the ministry be not blamed, receiving stripes and 
imprisonments in honor and dishonor, as unknown, 
and yet well known ; as chastened, and not killed ; as 
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making 
many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing all 
things/ How much richer and better the world is 
since Paul has 3 lived and labored in it ! 

"Why should not the young people of today want 
to get the best training so that they could be about the 
Father's business? Every young person at every 
school is supposed to be preparing himself for greater 
usefulness and happiness. It is sad, indeed, that the 



Their Work 31 

most important subject, Christianity, is, in most 
schools, omitted from the training of youth, and is not 
considered as an important factor by many students 
even in Christian schools. We have the strange spec- 
tacle of hundreds of young people in this country 
going to Europe in these days of war to enlist in 
the armies of England or France, not because they 
are English or French by nationality, but because 
they have been aroused by the agitation in the news- 
papers for the Franco-English cause. We have the 
spectacle of over 100,000 men being sent to the Mexi- 
can boundary to protect this nation, and most of 
these men have gone willingly and proudly. On the 
other hand, if someone should volunteer to become 
a missionary to the foreign country, with no danger 
of being shot as soldiers on the battle fields, but giv- 
ing his life in faithful service, just as a candle burning 
out, the community would lift up its hands in amaze- 
ment and horror at such awful sacrifice. We would 
not think it at all unnatural to send 100,000 men with 
fighting spirit to the Mexican boundary, but what 
would we say if we sent 100,000 men there to Chris- 
tianize this half savage neighbor of ours? We hardly 
think it strange that 15,000,000 people have already 
been killed, wounded or captured in the European 
armies now at war; but how strangely appropriate 
it would be if these same armies would put into prac- 
tice just a single verse of Holy Writ: 'But I say 
unto you, love your enemies ; bless them that curse 
you ; do good to them that hate you, and pray for 
them that do despitefully use you and persecute you, 
that ye may be the children of your Father Which is 
in Heaven/ The practical application of this one 
verse would put an end to the awful war at once. 
The professor closed by hoping that we would decide 
to give our children a more thorough knowledge of 



32 The Academy for Princes 

the Word of God, in theory and in practice, at home 
and in school, in church and in life." 

Mrs. Morgan : "But, Ole, I do believe that you are 
an orator, too. I knew you were pretty able in most 
ways, but I never knew before that you could give 
such a good speech/' 

Morgan : "I feel ashamed of myself. I have but 
faintly reproduced the professor's lecture. Why, he 
spoke as one having authority. It is comforting, in- 
deed, to know that we have such consecrated men in 
the service of our church schools ; and I shall be more 
willing to give to their support hereafter/' 

Joey: "I guess I will go to bed." 

Morgan : "Just wait a minute. Do you know what 
Willis said?" 

Mrs. Morgan: "No. What did he say?" 

Morgan : "He said that he had never seen the 
Church as an institution, or Christian education as a 
preparation for life, in that light before. He said also 
that he was willing to give, his children the best 
training that he could, and that he would work like 
a nigger to send them to school. If the academy was 
better for them than the high school, then they should 
be sent to the academy or his name was not Pete. 
You can readily imagine how T enthusiastic he was to 
say that." 

Louisetta: "I am sure the Willis children will have 
something to say about their going to any old 
academy." 

Morgan : "I have been thinking that you, Loui- 
setta, ought to go to the academy this year — why, 
what is the matter with you, girl." 

Louisetta (bawling) : "I don't want to go to your 
old academy. I w T ould just as soon go to the reform 
school, or be sent at once to the Sahara Desert or 



I 



Their Work 33 

the jungles of India as a missionary to the savage 
heathen. Uh, uh— " 

Joey: "You don't catch me going to the academy, 
sir. I want a little fun in this world." 

Morgan: "I am very sorry you did not hear Pro- 
fessor Svein. You would not have talked that way 
then." 

Mrs. Morgan : "It is late, and we had better let 
the matter rest for tonight." 



Morgan (next morning, while doing chores) : 
"Good morning, Willis. You are certainly an early 
bird." 

Willis: "Good morning. I came over to borrow 
your wire cutter. The boys have mislaid mine, and 
I want to use it right off." 

Morgan: "All right." (Gets the wire cutter.) 
"But was not that a fine lecture last night? You are 
going to send Dagny and Henry this fall, I suppose." 

Willis: "To tell you the truth, Morgan, I was 
pretty much worked up by that address, and I meant 
it~ last night when I said that I would send those 
youngsters to the academy; and when I came home 
I announced on the spot that Henry and Dagny were 
booked for the academy this fall. But what do you 
suppose the whole bunch of them, the six children 
and their mamma did? Why, they set up a boisterous 
laugh, and said, 'Since when did you get looney like 
Danielson, Papa?' Now that made me angry, and I 
abused them not a little, but I got my returns from 
those allies. Seeing that I could not come out of the 
struggle with victory or even colors flying, I wisely 
proposed a truce, saying, that on account of the late 
hour and the work before us on the morrow, we had 



34 The Academy for Princes 

better all retire for the night. Now this morning, 
strange to say, I do not feel so very enthusiastic about 
the academy after all, and I am not going to say an- 
other word to my family about the matter. I am not 
entirely crazy either. Well, I have to hurry back, so 
I cannot discuss this any longer. I will send the boy 
over with the clipper today. Goodbye. " 

Morgan (to himself) : "I guess I, too, will have to 
give up the idea of sending the children to the aca- 
demy, but that was a fine lecture : 'The children of 
a king' ; 'About the Father's business' ; 'Seeking and 
saving that which is lost' ; 'Being poor, yet making 
many rich' ;' 'Having nothing, yet possessing all 
things' ; I should, indeed, like to have my boys and 
girls in His service, yet — " 



Chapter Four. 
THEIR CHARACTER. 

Julia : "I don't see why I have to go to the aca- 
demy this fall. Why can't I go to high school like 
other girls and boys I know? Why should we alone 
be different from everybody else in this neighbor- 
hood?" 

Mrs. Danielsox : "It is for the best, dear." 

Julia: "I don't think so. People have been laugh- 
ing at us for the last five years, I know. I have even 
heard some remark that Father was looney on the 
school question." 

Mrs. Danielson: "You know he isn't. He is the 
best man you or I know, not only in point of common 
sense, but in every other w r ay. People called even 
Christ a devil and spat in His face." 

Julia: "I know Father is sensible and good, but 
it is no fun to have him called a looney freak, and I 
don't see why I shall miss so many enjoyments and 
advantages in life just because he has such peculiar 
and set views on schools." 

Mrs. Danielson: "You will have just as much fun 
at the academy as at the high school, and you will 
get more useful instruction and be better trained for 
life." 

Julia: "But it will be harder to get a position after 
graduating from the academy than from the high 
school. The high school graduates can enter the uni- 
versity without examination and can get teachers' 
certificates without examinations and better positions 
more readily." 

Mrs. Danielson: "How do vou know?" 



36 The Academy for Princes 

Julia: "I know. I have heard the girls discuss it. 
And you know how hard it was for Brother to get a 
position? And then when he went to get a certificate 
the county superintendent just laughed and said, 
'What kind of a school is this academy? It it not 
accredited by the State and I cannot recognize your 
standings. You. will have to attend teachers' summer 
school and take examination.' You know how hard 
Nicholas worked for 6 weeks reviewing all of his 
subjects for this examination. If he had had a high 
school diploma he would have been spared the 
trouble." 

Mrs. Danielson : "And you know that Nicholas 
was the only one out of 125 who took examinations 
who passed and got a first grade certificate. And the 
superintendent admitted that the academy must have 
given a more thorough training than the high schools 
did, for he did not think that the ordinary high school 
graduate could pass a first grade examination." 

Julia : "What I hate about it is the hardships con- 
nected with the academy, and the disgrace. I met 
Louisetta Morgan and Dagny Willis and they couldn't 
see why I was going to be made a martyr. Their 
fathers came pretty near being won over by that 
dinky old professor that w T as here two weeks ago, 
but the girls are safe now. Not a word is now men- 
tioned at their homes about the academy. The girls 
have already secured rooms in town near the high 
school. I wish I could go with them. They have al- 
ways been my class mates." 

Mrs. Danielson : "Well, we will have to talk it 
over with Father." 

Julia: "Can't you put in a good word for me?" 

* 



Their Character 37 

Danielson (at supper table) : "Only one week left 
till school opens, Julia. Aren't you glad?" 

Julia: "No, I am not. I don't want to go to the 
academy. Why can't I go to the high school with 
my class mates?" 

Danielson: "Whew, you don't mean it, little girl?" 

Julia: "Yes, I do. Please, may I not go to high 
school? I will be good forever and never cause you 
another minute of sorrow, if I can go to high school 
just this year, if not more." 

Danielson : "Thanks for your resolution. But I 
can't do it." 

Julia: "But why not?" 

Danielson: "There are many, many reasons. It 
is my privilege and duty to train you in Christianity 
as befits a child of God." 

Julia: "I am no better than others." 

Danielson : "I have not said you w r ere, but I want 
you to be like Jesus in character, an honor to His 
glorious name." 

Julia: "Oh, you want me to become a missionary 
or a preacher's wife, that is all. That is what the girls 
are throwing up at me, and I can't stand it." 

Danielson: "That is not all. A 15 year old girl 
is hardly of age to decide for herself, but not too 
young to think about such things. Is it dishonorable 
to be a preacher's wife?" 

Julia: "No, but it is very tedious and trying, I 
imagine." 

Danielson: "Most girls get married, and you may 
also in time enter matrimony. If you go to a church 
academy you may meet your partner for life there. 
He will probably be of your nationality and religion 
and standard of training and tastes. If you go to a 



38 The Academy for Princes 

high school, you will most likely get a man of another 
nationality, religion, and social set. Take the John- 
son girls, all of them high school graduates. Josie 
married an English Methodist. Well, she had to drop 
speaking Norwegian or to refer to things Norwegian 
for he knew nothing about the Norwegian language 
and culture and, worse still, like most Englishmen, he 
did not want to hear anything about the Norwe- 
gians either. She had to quit going to the Lutheran 
Church, of course, but, strange to say, he did not in- 
sist on her going to the Methodist services, but pro- 
posed of his own accord that they attend the Pres- 
byterian, but only as hearers. Many good people, he 
argued, do not belong to any Church at all. Then 
there is Sarah. She married an Irish Catholic, and 
had to join the Catholic Church. And poor Johanna 
married a Norwegian who despised his race, language 
and religion. He was religious, to be sure, and soon 
joined the Adventists who had him re-baptized. After 
a while he was talked over by another sectarian that 
the Adventist Baptism was wrong, and he was bap- 
tized a third time. Finally, he came to the conclusion 
that all of these were wrong in teaching and practice, 
and he ordered his son to baptize him in the right way, 
whereupon he baptized his son in turn. I have no 
idea what Sects he will not try before he has run his 
course. And with fanatical zeal he drags Johanna 
along. You may, indeed, get a good husband, of 
your faith and otherwise suitable, even by going to 
high school, but the chances are better at the aca- 
demy. I think the slur on the preacher's wife is in 
poor taste." 

Julia : "I don't want to be one anyway." 
Danielson : "Well, no one has asked you to be 
one, either. As to becoming a missionary, all I want 
to say is, that there are worse callings in life. I never 



Their Character 



39 



hope to have the honor of seeing any of my children 
dedicate themselves to His service as a whole offer- 
ing." 

Mrs. Danielson : "Don't say that, Father." 

Danielson : "But I should like to see them get a 
little more of ruggedness of character, so that they 
will listen just as much to Father as to every Tom 
boy on the street, especially in holding fast to pure 
doctrines and established principles. I detest these 
weather-vanes in the pulpits, who change their mes- 
sage with every season. I don't like to see any man 
or woman, girl or boy, a reed shaken with the wind.'" 3 

Mrs. Danielson : "Can not the high school also 
develop strong character?" 

Danielson : "Without a doubt. But it takes the 
Word of God to make Christian character, w T hich is 
the strongest and best type of manhood and woman- 
hood. Nicholas has told us that character comes from 
a word w 7 hich means carved or engraved. Carved in 
stone, cut into steel, rugged as the oak set apart from 
his fellows, firm as a rock — that is character. Filled 
with the mind of Christ, childlike faith in the Word, 
implicit obedience at God's command, the Christian is 
invincible against his arch enemy and the angels of 
darkness. There on the wall is a picture of the Man 
of Sorrows, crowned with cruel thorns. 'Ecce homo' 
— we read beneath, which my Latin scholar interprets : 
'Behold the Man/ In this crucified Man, my King 
and Savior, I see the perfect character, with the 
strength of the lion and the gentleness of woman, 
with every virtue in complete fulness and harmony. 
I want my children to see Jesus and to look to Him 
as their Savior and their Ideal." 

Julia : "I hear so much about religion at home and 
church, I should think I could escape studying it at 
high school." 



40 



The Academy for Princes 



Danielson : "No, they do not study Christianity 
at high school. That is the tabooed subject. Further- 
more, I do not want them to, for it is illegal and would 




'ECCE HOMO.' 1 



cause a clash between the Sects and a clamor for 
spoils, and a meddling into the Church's affairs by the 
State. I wish you to go where they can and do teach 
religion the way we believe it should be taught. The 



Their Character 41 

character and Word of Christ are the most wonderful 
in history and has a grip on the world as that of no 
other person. He wants His younger brothers and 
sisters, baptized in His name as princes and princesses 
of Heaven, to be like unto Him in thought and desire, 
in word and deed, to grow up unto His stature, to 
walk in His footsteps, to be the salt of the earth and 
the light of the world. Think of Luther, whose name 
we bear, how he searched the Scriptures, found Christ, 
and fearlessly proclaimed His name before pope and 
emperor. " 

Julia: "We can never be like Luther. There is 
no use trying." 

Danielson: "We can be like him in kind, if not 
in size. We can get a Christian character which time 
can not efface nor temptations and trials destroy. The 
inscriptions on marble and bronze may be corrupted 
or erased, not so the Christian character. That can 
be read more sharply with the passing years, and 
even afar off. Besides, the silent, unobserved in- 
fluences of salt and light are a blessing to all. Salt 
preserves from decay, so do the humblest of Chris- 
tians. Light shines, heats up, causes growth and 
change, so does every Christian, however lowly, who 
lets his light shine before men." 

Mrs. Danielson: "Julia, you had better do as 
Father says, I am sure it is for the best." 

Julia: "But it is hard to be different from others." 

Danielson: "Ecce homo — !" 



Chapter Five. 
THEIR DESTINY. 

Sigvald (after services) : "How do you do, Mr. 
Danielson? I have heard that you had a girl that 
you were going to send to the academy tomorrow. I 
have a boy that I want to send there too — " 

Danielson : "You don't say ! I am glad to hear 
it. Won't you come over to dinner with us? Good 
morning, Mr. Morgan, you might as well come along 
too. Take your wife along/' 

Sigvald: "I shall be glad to accept your kind in- 
vitation, for I want to ask you a few questions about 
the trains, fare, etc." 

Danielson : "Julia has never been 20 miles from 
home and has never set her foot on any train. I am 
therefore goiug along with her to the school and then 
I will spend two or three days there visiting the school 
and taking in a church convention nearby. Willis is 
also going along to visit some friends." 

Sigvald : "August has never been any place either, 
except to the county fair. I haven't time to accom- 
pany him on that train myself, and am glad that he 
can go along with you." 

Danielson : "All right, you drive down to my barn 
and put in for awhile. And you, too, Mr. Morgan." 

Morgan: "All right, sir." 

Danielson' (in sitting room, after dinner) : "Why 
did you decide on sending your son to the church 
school, Mr. Sigvald?" 

Sigvald : "Several things. The pastor has from 
time to time mentioned Christian education in his 



Their Destiny 43 

sermons. I remember once particularly that he laid 
such stress on the fact that we were God's children 
and ought to be educated as such in God's Word. 
This Word is banished from the public schools, and 
the schools have such a strong grip on the children 
and for such a long time that in spite of my efforts to 
the contrary the minds and hearts of the children be- 
come more and more worldly/' 

Morgan : "The schools are certainly a tremendous 
influence, a smelting pot, in which the raw material 
from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas are made 
into good, intelligent, useful, loyal American citizens 
there." 

Sigvald: "I don't deny that the public schools 
teach many useful things and that they make our 
children Americans, but that is not enough for me. 
I want them to become Christians and heavenly 
minded first of all. I never attended the public 
schools, and cannot speak English very well, yet, 
after having been here in America 52 years, but I 
am a loyal American citizen and fought for the Stars 
and Stripes in the Civil War, even though on general 
principles I am against w r ar. But the cause was dif- 
ferent in the Civil War. In my opinion slavery was 
a wrong institution, and I enlisted three days after 
coming to my destination in this country and was 
shot four times for my patriotism." 

Danielson: "Of course, we know a man can be 
patriotic and American even though he has not at- 
tended public school. To my mind this matter of 
patriotism and Americanization is entirely overdone. 
It has come to this that preachers even preach patri- 
otism instead of Christ. One Sunday when we did 
not have service I went to hear Pastor Hausman of 
the M. E. church. In his prayer he told the Lord that 
if our country should perish then all hope would 



44 The Academy for Princes 

perish. In his sermon, based on the text: 'Where 
there is no vision, the people perish/ he had three 
points : education, religion, patriotism. Education 
gave vision. True enough. But he emphasized with 
clenched fists and frenzied shouts that any one who 
spoke against the public schools was a traitor to his 
country. I could not help thinking that we had free- 
dom of speech and press in this country. Also, that 
the most radical protests against the public schools 
come from the public school men themselves. Also, 
that the Methodists have dotted this land with Chris- 
tian academies, colleges and universities which aim to 
compete with the state schools. As to religion, he 
said, that that gave still clearer vision and was the 
one thing essential. But he did not tell how one could 
get religion when it was not to be had in the public 
schools which train from kindergarten through uni- 
versity. The home has in most cases quit trying to 
train in religion. The Sunday school is at best only 
a faint shadow of the public school giant. No 
preacher dares to preach five doctrinal sermons in 
succession. The pastor showed himself a true child 
of his age in taking occasion under this point to say 
that he had no use for doctrines or creed, for we did 
not live in the bigotted middle ages. Under patri- 
otism he grew eloquent on the love of country and 
the work of the soldiers — they had a vision. But he 
said that those deluded creatures who espoused in- 
ternationalism, a time when one country could love 
another as itself, was out of question. The precept 
of Christ to love and forgive one's enemies he de- 
clared impracticable. The vision of the Prince of 
Peace ruling the peoples and of 'the nations beating 
their swords into plowshares and their spears into 
pruning-hooks, of a time when nation shall not lift up 
a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war 



Their Destiny 45 

any more/ this vision, possible in our time, he kept 
back and painted the dire need of preparing ourselves 
against a possible attack by Japan and Germany. 
He ended his sermon with a declaration against mili- 
tarism and a long, loud Rooseveltian-Wilsonian 
whoop for a preparedness second to none. This ser- 
mon is a type of the appeal to patriotism that I could 
never understand." 

Morgan: "But we have got off the subject, Daniel- 
son. Sigvald was telling us how he came to decide to 
send August to the academy." 

Sigvald: "I attended Prof. Svein's lecture, and he 
made my purpose more real to myself : I should send 
August this fall. I did not think so much of the work 
that he might do in this world, but I thought espe- 
cially of his destiny. I want him to come to a knowl- 
edge of the truth and be saved forever. Heaven is our 
destination. The grave is not our goal. We are pil- 
grims here, strangers in a strange land, frail, helpless 
creatures in a hostile country, lost and condemned 
creatures, unworthy and unable to be saved except 
by grace. My children have been entrusted to me to 
train up in the way they should go, but I am such a 
poor teacher and weak example unto them. I con- 
cluded, therefore, to send August, the only one willing 
to go and that I could spare, to the academy. May 
the Lord give his teachers there spirit and power to 
win my boy's heart and mind for interests of real and 
eternal value." 

Morgan: "It seems to me that a man with your 
views and zeal could do more at home than a teacher 
at school." 

Sigvald : "You do not know my frailties, it seems." 
Morgan : "I have heard it said about you that your 



46 The Academy for Princes 

feet were still on earth, but your head was above the 
clouds/' 

Danielson : "I have heard a pastor say that he 
would not send his children away from home to an 
academy, for the Christian influence of the home 
would overcome any anti-Christian influence of the 
high school. But my observation, though not so very 
extensive, leads me to think that the pastor was 
wrong and that Sigvald is right. The influence of the 
high school is tremendously secular, while that of the 
home is often but faintly spiritual/' 

Morgan: "But is the academy really so very spir- 
itual? I have heard tell quite a different story. And 
besides I have myself attended both academy and high 
school/' 

Danielson: "You are therefore just the man to 
know that the presence of even a little leaven can 
leaven the whole lump. I have often wished that the 
academy would offer more religion, that the teachers 
were all consecrated Christians of the finest order, 
and that every student were a living epistle, but I 
am thankful for the smaller returns that I see." 

Sigvald: "You have many pictures on your walls, 
Danielson, but that we find everywhere. But yours 
have such a point to them, — that I like. My son 
Henry fixed up his house, you know,- and then invited 
me over. He asked me how I liked it. Everything 
was new and neat and tastily arranged, for he has a 
most artistic wife. 'But/ said I, 'there is one thing 
lacking. I see books, but not the Book of books; I 
see papers, but no church papers ; I see pictures, but 
none which could reveal that you were a Christian or 
a heathen/ On your walls, Danielson, I see pictures, 
some of which clearly disclose your ideals and hopes. 
There is the bruised head of Jesus, the child Jesus 
amongst the doctors, the Shepherd and His sheep, 




Their Destiny 



47 



David gazing at the Lord's handiwork, and there is 
a ship casting anchor, a hand drawing. Who made 
it, may I ask?" 

Danielson : "A friend of my son Nicholas by the 
name of Algot Swanson is quite an illustrator. He 
sketched this drawing and several others and gave 
them to Nicholas. I enjoy them very much and have 
drawn many lessons from them, for they have really 
a point to them." 




"THE ANCHOR OF HOPE." 



Sigvald: "I see the point of this. Anchor stands 
for hope. I had read this in the Bible, but could not 
locate it. One day I made up my mind to call on 
Pastor Halm and ask him. I did so. His smile was 
happy and beaming. 'I wish more people w T ould come 
and bother me with questions like that/ he said. 
'But/ he added, 'most people think me useful only at 
a funeral, and many even then would prefer a lodge 
ceremony/ Then he got his Bible and turned to Heb. 
6: 19 and read: 'Who have fled for refuge to lay hold 
upon the hope set before us ; w T hich hope we have as 
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast/ ' 



48 The Academy for Princes 

Danielson : "Say, you were a seaman once upon 
a time?" 

Sigvald: "Yes, a fisherman from my Confirmation 
at 14 until my departure for America at 2J. I spent 
many a day and night on the Arctic and often in open 
boat and in storm. But I always had hope that the 
storm would cease and that I would reach shore, and 
I always was glad when we cast anchor. I have there- 
fore often said to young people : 'When you leave 
your home and Congregation, cast anchor as a ship 
when it gets to port. Join a Congregation, lay hold 
on Jesus the Rock of salvation with the anchor of 
hope.' " 

Danielson : "Our life is a voyage, and Heaven is 
our destined port. We need the anchor at our latter 
end." 

Sigvald : "That is why I want August to go to the 
academy. In the storms of life — doubts and misgiv- 
ings, temptations and trials — he can cast anchor and 
his ship will ride safely against wind and wave. 
Finally, his ship will reach the haven of peace and 
drop anchor for once and all. Then shall he step off 
on the celestial shore and see his Savior Brother face 
to face." 

Morgan : "You are right, Sigvald, the children of 
God are destined for a better land." 

Danielson : "And should be equipped on their 
voyage with the anchor of hope." 



Chapter Six. 
THE WORD OF GOD. 

[Sigvald and Morgan again at Danielson's house the Sunday after 

the departure of Julia and August for the academy. 

Carlson also present.] 

Sigvald: "I got a letter from August on Wednes- 
day and my daughter Carrie got one on Friday. He 
is evidently very busy with five hours a day in the 
class room, besides chapel, gymnastics, baseball, and 
study periods. On Monday evenings he has to go to 
mission meeting, on Thursday evenings to prayer 
meeting, and on Friday evenings to the debating so- 
ciety. He says he likes the teachers and schoolmates, 
but misses the old folks at home and the younger 
ones, too. He is the youngest of my brood, and a 
spoilt baby, I fear. But it made my old soul happy 
to think that he was homesick. " 

Danielson : "Julia has written a letter every day. 
Even the three days I was there she wrote to some 
one in the family, besides to her girl friends. She is 
lonesome too, poor child." 

Morgan : "Louisetta got a long letter from her, 
which I was permitted to read. It was a long out- 
pouring of heartfelt thoughts and desires, half of the 
time she was in high spirits at being in such a delight- 
ful place and half of the time she was in deep gloom 
at being compelled to part with her girl friends and 
to miss the happy high school days of her fondest 
dreams/' 

Sigvald: "I was very anxious to come here today 
to hear about your trip to the school, Danielson." 

Danielson: "And I have been just as anxious to 
get a chance to tell you about it. You all ought to 



50 The Academy for Princes 

have been along. Willis went along and has not 
come back yet, for he was going to several places 
where he had worked as a young newcomer and also 
to the place where he had met and won his wife. But 
Willis was the lad who was surprised at seeing the 
school. I induced him to go up with me the first day. 
You know the school has four buildings, a main build- 
ing for class rooms, chapel, library, laboratories and 
gymnasium ; a boys' dormitory, a girls' dormitory, and 
a heating plant, besides several professors' residences 
near by. 'Whew,' he said, as we approached the 
school grounds, 'but what are all those buildings?' 
'They are the school plant,' I said, for I had been 
there twice before. 'Did you ever,' said he. 'What's 
the matter?' said I. 'Oh, nothing,' he said, 'only I 
thought the school was a little bit of a henhouse or 
calaboose, and it is twice as large as our big high 
school at home. Who paid for these buildings?' 'We 
helped,' I said. 'You remember when Student Rothe 
came around with a list? And Student Bra had a 
list on another occasion, and the famous Prof. Nathan 
spoke in church once and canvassed everyone of us 
for $100 each, but he got less?' " 

Willis: "Yes, I remember. I gave him a piece of 
my mind and told him I had already given $3. But 
he wasn't satisfied. At last I promised $20 more. 
He said : 'Make it $25,' and then I was ready for a 
fight, but he wisely retreated." 

Morgan : "There is really not a more good souled 
creature in this parish than this same Willis. He 
does not mean half of what he says." 

Danielson : "Well, when we went through the 
buildings he was all enthusiasm. He met Prof. Svein 
and talked most heartily with him and praised the 
lecture he gave in our church this fall. He staid by 
me at the opening program, went to classes, had din- 



The Word of God 51 

ner with President Anthony, watched the boys at ball, 
came back the next day, attended more classes, went 
to the prayer meeting in the evening. I asked him 
how he liked the place. 'Had I known it was such 
a place,' he answered, T would have sent Ellen and 
Le Roy here long ago. But now it is too late, for 
they are already through high school. Next year I 
w T ill send Dagny and Henry to this academy as sure 
as I live/ 'Why not now?' I said. 'They have begun 
at the high school this week and I don't w r ant to break 
up their school year, besides I don't want to seem 
unstable and fickle. When I have said a thing I want 
to keep my word. I have said that they should go to 
the high school, and that settles that for this year.' ' 

Sigvald: "I am interested in hearing about the 
religious work of the school. August writes mostly 
about algebra, English, Latin, ancient history and 
Norwegian. I did not send him there to study those 
things but to study religion." 

Danielson: "I will first tell you about the opening 
exercises. Being the first day, their exercises occupied 
about an hour in prayer, singing and speaking. Presi- 
dent Anthony gave a welcome speech to both old and 
new students, and made a fine little speech in which 
he reminded us that each student was a child of God 
and had come there to be trained to the glory of His 
high and holy name. In all their work and walk they 
must not forget their sonship and the honor of His 
name and the reputation of the Christian school. On 
that account they would not, for example, be per- 
mitted to visit the movies or stay out late at night 
without permission, they would be entirely prohibited 
from attending dances and entering saloons. After 
this the president introduced Professor Knutgaard, 
who- gave a more formal talk on Ps. 119: 105: 'Thy 
Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my 



52 The Academy for Princes 

path/ He said that the speaker of these word§ was 
held to be King David, the greatest king of Israel and 
the most illustrious king of any land or time. It is 
no easy task to be a king, especially to be a good king 
and to become a great king. A king has many difficult 
problems to solve that we have no way of fully appre- 
ciating. Heavy rests the head of him who wears a 
crown. We do know some of King David's problems. 
His most beloved son, Absalom, for example, had re- 
volted against his own father, had intended to depose 
and kill him. Yet even when he fled from Absalom, 
his son, forsaken as he was by nearly all of his friends 
and followers, David could sing the words of Psalm 
3 : ( Lord, how are they increased that trouble me ! 
Many are they that rise up against me. Many there 
be that say of my soul : "There is no help for him in 
God!" But Thou, O Lord, art a Shield for me; my 
Glory, and the Lifter up of mine head. I cried unto 
the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His 
holy hill. I laid me down and slept. I awakened; 
for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten 
thousands of people, that have set themselves against 
me round about/ The speaker went on to say that 
there were very few people who could have gone to 
sleep in the open air that night as David did. He 
was surrounded by foes and betrayed by his son. The 
Lord seemed to have forsaken His servant. But 
David laid himself down and slept. He slept, not be- 
cause he was indifferent. He was deeply touched. 
For when his soldiers returned with the news of the 
death of Absalom, David moaned and wept for several 
days : 'O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! 
Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, 
my son/ What was the secret of David's strength 
and greatness? It was his close communion with 
God. He did not only pray to Him, but he also 



The Word of God 53 

listened to Him. He listened to His Word. The 
Word was a lamp to David's feet. That is why David 
was good and great. David did not always seek coun- 
sel in the Word, did not always obey. He sinned 
grievously when he committed adultery with Bath- 
sheba and put Uriah out of the way. But he came 
to repentance and was forgiven and his life is an 
excellent testimonial of the benefits of using the Word 
of God as a lamp unto one's feet and a light upon one's 
path. The story of the kings of Israel beginning with 
the promising, but ill-fated, King Saul is full of ex- 
amples of those who would rather perform their work 
in deepest darkness, for their deeds were evil. They 
had no use for the light of God's Word. The kings 
of all times and places can learn of David. The story 
of the kings in the various countries is not always 
pleasant reading. The speaker said that in his child- 
hood he had read Dicken's 'Child's History of Eng- 
land' and he got the impression the English kings 
were worse, if anything, than the kings of Israel. And 
they should have been so much better for they had 
the full Word of God and the example of history 
before them. The professor went on to say that in 
another and more real sense each one of us is a prince 
or princess, at least. We became children of God at 
Baptism and should as such walk as the children of 
light, and not of darkness. The Word should be a 
lamp unto our feet." 

Morgan: "This notion that our children are chil- 
dren of God and that they ought to get a royal train- 
ing is most beautiful, but is not practical at all, I 
fear." 

Carlson : "That is exactly what I have been con- 
tending all the time. I like to listen to the theories 
of Danielson and these professors, but I think it 
would be sin against my children to put them into 



54 The Academy for Princes 

practice. I do not believe in sending young people 
to co-educational schools and away from home to 
church academies, and I do not think they get as 
good instruction there as they do right at home in the 
local high school. These academies are' seldom ac- 
credited by the universities. They are poorly equipped 
in almost every way in comparison with high schools. " 

Danielson : "As to co-education we have that in 
the state schools from the common schools up. You 
have never objected. As to the academy equipments, 
I had better take you to our academy for a visit, but 
I shall let our friend Willis speak on that point when 
he gets back. Now I want to ask: Was David wise 
in taking the Word for his lamp?" 

Carlson : "Of course." 

Danielson: "And was Saul foolish?" 

Carlson: "He was." 

Danielson : "Is it good for any land to have Chris- 
tian rulers who fear God and obey His Command-, 
ments?" 

Carlson : "That is what the world needs and ap- 
preciates." 

Danielson : "Am I wrong as to my view of son- 
ship?" 

Carlson: "It is rather hazy. We are only com- 
mon people." 

Danielson: "But the Word says different. And 
if we are real children of God, should we have a 
princely training in His Word?" 

Carlson : "I suppose so. But we can not very well 
put this theory of yours into practice in this cold, 
dark, struggling world:" 

Danielson : "Is not the Bible our only source and 
guide in work as well as in faith, in practice as well 
as in theory?" 



The Word of God 55 

Carlson : "Of course, that is what they say." 

Danielson : "Is not God wise and practical, and 
are not His ways the wisest and most practical?" 

Carlson : "Surely." 

Danielson : "He wants His children to learn to ob- 
serve all things whatsoever He has commanded them. 
That means that they must study His Word and 
obey it." 

Carlson : "They learn that at church and at Sun- 
day school." 

Danielson: "Is it necessary for the youth of our 
day to get a high school education?" 

Carlson: "I think so. I don't want my children to 
be mere farmers or day laborers." 

Danielson : "I would not mind if my children be- 
came farmers or day laborers, providing that they had 
the training they are entitled to as sons of God. Je- 
sus was a carpenter and had an honorable calling." 

Morgan: "High school pupils can also get a Chris- 
tian training." 

Danielson : "But there is no provision to study 
the Word of God in the high school course. I con- 
sider a course impractical that omits the most es- 
sential subject, the one thing needful." 

Carlson : "But is it wise to send youngsters of 14 
to 16 years to an academy away from home?" 

Danielson : "I w^ould much rather have them at 
home. Now in the old country we were sent out to 
work for ourselves as soon as we had gotten con- 
firmed; that is to say, at 14 or 15, and most of us 
thus sent out never returned to the parental roof 
again to live. Mr. Carlson, you have sent one of your 
16 year old boys to the big city to work when he 
should have helped you on the farm, and you are not 
afraid to let your 15 year old daughter attend busi- 



56 



The Academy for Princes 



ness college in the big city all alone, to a co-educa- 
tional school at that. Would it be more dangerous to 
go to a Christian academy ?" 

Carlson: "I sent my girl to the business college 
because she will there get a practical training, and my 
boy in the city is now making money for himself, $40 
a month with prospect of a raise." 

Danielson : "We have different views of what is 
most practical. I sympathize with Prof. Knutgaard's 




"A LAMP UNTO MY FEET. 



view. Algot Swanson once made a drawing sketch 
for Nicholas which illustrates this Bible verse. I will 
get it. Here I have a picture of a man seeking his 
way in the dark by means of a lantern, just as we go 
out on a dark night to do chores or visit a neighbor. 
Without a lantern, especially if the night is very dark 
and the way is not familiar or unknown, we make 
very little headway and' often come to grief. This 
has a spiritual application in Scripture. This David 
knew when he sang: 'Thy Word is a lamp unto my 
feet.' If you were a heathen in a heathen land would 



The Word of God 57 

you know the way of salvation without the lantern, 
God's Word?" 

Carlson: "Indeed, not." 

Danielson: "If you were in a Christian land would 
you know the way without this same lantern? What 
do you say, Mr. Carlson?" 

Carlson: "No, the Word is the lantern also unto 
my feet." 

Danielson : "A child in the darkness walking in an 
unknown path needs a lantern as well as the grown- 
up. The night is also dark for the youth, and he may 
be far from home also in his high school days. Let 
him have the Word of God to guide him in those 
critical years." 

Morgan : "I wish everybody would look upon the 
Word of God the way you do, Danielson. It would 
then be so easy to know what to do. I would at once 
send my Louisetta to the academy this fall, but now 
I hesitate, for everybody, even my pastor, is sending 
his children to the high school." 

Sigvald: "Is it true that Pastor Halm has sent 
Cornelius to the university, Hannah to a Congrega- 
tional college, and Bergit to the high school?" 

Morgan : "It is true. I did not believe it myself, 
but I asked him the other day I met him, and he 
smiled and said that rumor was right for once." 

Danielson: "You are only joking, Morgan." 

Morgan : "No, I am not. Ask Carlson. Ask Halm 
himself." 

Danielson : "I wonder what has come over our 
pastor — . But however that is, and whatever Pastor 
Halm may do, it still remains true that if a man takes 
the Word as his lamp or lantern, he will try to get his 
children to go to a Christian school. I would do it, 
if I were the only one to do so. Joshua made his 



58 The Academy for Princes 

choice, saying: 'As for me and my house, we will 
serve the Lord/ Saul with an army at his back was 
afraid of one foul-mouthed giant, Goliath, but David 
the shepherd boy went against him single-handed with 
a staff and a slingshot and in the name of the Lord of 
hosts. He grasped the Word as his lantern and found 
the way out of the deep gloom of that sad day. He 
was able to conquer Goliath, to achieve a brilliant 
victory for his king, to save his people from shame 
and costly defeat." 

Carlson : "It is getting late and dark, therefore I 
must be going." 

Morgan : "I, too, will have to go home." 

Danielson : "It is a pretty dark night, but you 
can take my lantern. You have far to go, Mr. Sig- 
vald, and do not intend to go home tonight, I suppose. 
Stay for supper, and I will tell you more about my 
visit to the academy." 

Morgan and Carlson (walking out into the dark 
night with the lantern): "Good night." 

Danielson : "Good night. A lamp unto my feet, 
a light upon my path — ." 

Sigvald: "Just wait a minute, friends, let us sing 
a song together before departing. Let us sing 'Lead, 
kindly Light/ " 

Morgan: "All right. I know that by heart." 

Carlson : "I don't." 

Danielson : "You can follow along, Carlson. Mor- 
gan, you take the tenor. I will handle the bass. Sig- 
vald and Carlson will carry the melody. Come along, 
Mother, we are going to give an open air concert." 

All: 

"Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom, 
Lead Thou me on ; 
The night is dark, and I am far from home, 

Lead Thou me on. 
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see 
The distant scene; one step enough for me — :" 






Chapter Seven. 
PRAYER. 

Sigvald (as Morgan and Carlson disappear in the 
dark night) : "I believe they have started singing 
again." 

Danielson: "Yes, that Morgan is a great lover of 
music, and his house is a real conservatory. I don't 
know what we should do without him in our Congre- 
gation. He is so active in the congregational singing 
and the choir work. But come in and I will tell you 
some more about the academy." 

Sigvald (taking a seat in the cozy corner) : "Yes, 
tell me a lot" 

Danielson : "I left off with Prof. Knutgaard's 
speech. After this speech Pres. Anthony made a few 
remarks again. He said that the city in which they 
lived maintained an excellent high school and, that 
almost every village in the land was doing likewise. 
These high schools were supported at public expense 
and were free to the students in attendance. Why 
then have a rival high school, the church academy? 
Why go to the expense of building identical buildings 
and hiring a new set of teachers? Why should a 
young man or a young woman want to go away from 
home to the private school and pay tuition when it 
was possible to stay right at home and attend a high 
school free of charge? The answer had been given 
by Prof. Knutgaard. It was : To give those who so 
desired a chance to study the Word of God a little 
more thoroughly than at home and in the Congrega- 
tion. He hoped they would avail themselves of this 
golden opportunity, preparing for their high position 
and calling as the sons and daughters of God. A cer- 



60 The Academy for Princes 

tain king in France had a private teacher for his son. 
Now, this son did not make as good progress as the 
royal father desired. The king therefore asked the 
tutor if there was no way whereby the prince could 
make more rapid progress than the average student. 
To this the tutor was obliged to reply that there was 
no royal road to learning. Everyone who wants to 
learn, must study, that is, work. Nevertheless, in 
learning the Word of God there is a better way, in 
fact, the only proper way, and it can be called the 
Royal Road to Learning. In reply to question 7 
of Sverdrup's 'Explanation of Luther's Catechism' : 
'What must we do to use God's Word rightly?' The 
answer is given : 'We must first pray to God for the 
enlightenment of His Spirit, and then read the Word 
devoutly, with an honest purpose to live according to 
it.' There are three steps, then, to this royal way: 
First, prayer; second, study; third, application. It 
was the object of the school to call attention to these 
three steps so often that it would become second na- 
ture on the part of the students to take them in their 
order." 

Sigvald: "That is truly a royal way to read the 
Scriptures. I for my part am disposed to pray with- 
out reading, more often to read without praying, and 
worst of all either not to do what I find commanded 
in the Bible or to act without reference to what the 
Bible enjoins." 

Danielson: "I am in your fix exactly. Well, to 
continue. After the opening exercises I had dinner 
with Professor Halvorbo, teacher of physiology and 
some other subjects. I found him to be an unusually 
earnest man. I understand that his influnce on the 
students is very uplifting. Nicholas used to say that 
whenever the students were going home for vacation 
or going to a baseball game, or some other public 



Prayer 61 

function, Prof. Halvorbo would make a speech in 
which he warned the students to remember the good 
name of their school. But I am not going to dwell 
on all of the interesting experiences and observations 
at the school. I am going to tell you now about the 
weekly prayer meeting that we attended at the school. 
It was held on Wednesday evening from 8 to 9 and 
was attended by all of the girls and boys from the 
dormitories and some outsiders. Prof. 0stvik was in 
charge that evening, and was to have general super- 
vision of the meetings during the year. Since this 
was the first meeting of the year, he explained the 
plan of the meetings for the benefit of the new stu- 
dents. He would appoint a student leader for each 
week. This leader at each session would briefly ex- 
plain an appropriate text, after which the meeting 
would be open to comment, testimony, song, but 
especially prayer. The meetings had been very suc- 
cessful and edifying in years gone by, and would 
without question be well worth while this year also. 
A prayer meeting is not the worst place in this world. 
A certain banker on noting that his new bookkeeper 
went into a saloon, promptly discharged him, but on 
noting that another clerk attended prayer meeting he 
promptly promoted him." 

Sigvald: "I am glad that my boy is at such a 
school where prayer meetings take the place of danc- 
ing and card parties." 

Danielson : "Professor 0stvik continued to say 
that this year the texts to be explained at each meet- 
ing would always bear on prayer. The Bible is per- 
fectly full of the subject of prayer — why to pray, and 
where, and when, and how, etc. It contains hundreds 
of references to prayer and dozens of examples of 
prayer and answers to prayer. He suggested that the 
students take the Bible this year and read it through 



62 The Academy for Princes 

with the same interest as they would one of the latest 
great popular novels, and he assured them they would 
find it a novel experience which they would remember 
all of their lives, providing they followed the Royal 
Road and prayed for enlightenment. Reading the 
Bible was a good deal like taking a trip to some en- 
chanted place like California or Norw r ay. Particularly 
interesting is such a trip if one has come from afar 
to see wonderful things. Just as California has won- 
derful scenery — stupendous mountains, magnificent 
valleys, the richest of fields and the most desolate of 
deserts, lakes above the cloud line and inland seas 
below sea level, the greatest extremes in landscape and 
vegetation, the most astounding varieties, so the Bible 
is a wonderland on any and every spiritual topic. 
With respect to Prayer it offers one grand view after 
another — Shasta and Lassen, Lowe and San Jacinta, 
Yosemite and Mariposa, Lake Tahoe and Salton Sea, 
Golden Gate and Catalina — Abraham interceding for 
Sodom, Jacob wrestling with God, Moses up on the 
mountain, Hannah in the temple, Nehemiah on the 
walls of Jerusalem, Jesus in the desert and in Geth- 
semane, glorious examples of praying men and wo- 
men, priceless precepts concerning prayer, countless 
promises of being heard, blessed assurance that He is 
mighty and faithful Who has promised." 

Sigvald: "I can see some of those scenes you men- 
tion from the Holy Book: Jacob, for example, strug- 
gling with the angel. Oh, but that appeals to me, 
for I have a painting of it at home. How often I 
have stood and stared at that picture and gone to the 
text and read the narrative over and over again. Two 
facts have more and more impressed themselves on 
me as I have gazed in wonder at Jacob's victorious 
wrestling with the Lord : The first is, that this sinful 
Jacob did not give up until the Lord granted him his 




JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL. 



64 The Academy for Princes 

request; the second is, that the Lord did not grant 
Jacob his request before Jacob had confessed his sin. 
And the Lord said unto Jacob: 'What is thy name?' 
And he said : 'Jacob/ which means a supplanter. It 
contained a confession of Jacob's sin." 

Danielson : "Well, to go on with my account of 
the prayer meeting : The professor asked each student 
to try to read through the Bible and to underline each 
passage on prayer. After having done this, it would 
be a fine thing to group the passages in some way or 
other, such as, precept, promise, example. He did 
not know which class of prayer passages he found 
most comfort in. The examples of praying men were 
always an inspiration. Christ took time to pray. 
Daniel spent three hours daily in prayer. Luther was 
a valiant man of prayer and said that well prayed was 
equivalent to work half finished already. The prom- 
ises are also comforting, for they are so definite and 
apply to every condition of life or death. 'Whatso- 
ever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do/ is the 
promise Jesus left us. Tf ye then, being evil, know 
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much 
more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 
to them that ask Him?' And when we ask Him for 
the Holy Spirit to teach us the Scripture and to lead 
us to a living faith in Jesus, we have His promise that 
He will do so. 'He is not a man that He should lie, 
or the son of man that He should repent/ And the 
precepts, precious jewels everyone. As: 'Pray with- 
out ceasing' ; 'Thus shall ye pray' ; and the like. 'As 
the hart panteth after the waterbrooks so panteth 
my soul after Thee, O God/ He expressed the hope 
that we would have the same intense longing to speak 
with God in our hearts and with our lips as the pant- 
ing deer had after the water brooks. He excused him- 
self for having taken so much time at this meeting, 



Prayer 



65 




"AS THE HART PANTETH AFTER THE WATERBROOKS." 

but since it was the first meeting, it was necessary to 
explain the purpose and plan somewhat fully. Prayer 
was the first step in successful study. The children of 
God should with all boldness and confidence entreat 
Him, as dear children entreat their dear father. The 
meeting closed with a prayer by one of the students 
and the singing of the hymn : 

" 'As after the waterbrooks panteth 

The hart, when it sinks in the chase, 
So thirsteth my soul, as it fainteth, 
For Thee, O my God, and Thy grace — .' " 

Mrs. Danielson : "Now, I am ready with the 
housework for tonight/' 

Danielson: "Call the children, Mother. Sigvald 
will lead the devotions tonight." 



Chapter Eight. 
STUDY. 

Mrs. Danielson (to her husband returning from 
town) : "Any mail today ?" 

Danielson : "A big letter from Julia to you, and 
I am almost wild to find out what it is about/' 

Mrs. Danielson : "You have permission to open 
my mail, sir." 

Danielson : "Thanks, but I prefer not." 

Mrs. Danielson (opening letter) : "Listen, then. 
'Dear Folks: We have been having great doings at 
the academy this week. We have had a big Reforma- 
tion celebration and a big preparation for the event. 
About a month ago President Anthony urged us to 
read some book on Luther. He mentioned such ac- 
counts of his life in story form as Schmidt's "Through 
Luther to Liberty" and Mrs. Charles' "Schonberg- 
Cotta Family," Davis' "Friar of Wittenberg," and 
such biographies as by Ole Nilsen, H. E. Jacobs and 
others. Prof. Elland had provided the library with 
several extra copies of these books, and the book store 
had them for sale. I imagined it would be rather dry 
reading, and figured on getting out of it with one 
book. I was told that Schmidt's was the easiest and 
that was, then, the book for me. But it seemed that 
everybody wanted to get the easiest, so I had to be 
satisfied with the next best — "The Schonberg-Cotta 
Family." But a more delightful book I haven't read. 
The rule is: "Lights out at 10:00," but I was sorely 
tempted to break the rule and read through the book 
at midnight. I had never imagined that Luther was 
such a fine fellow. He seems so real in this book. I 
actually believe he is getting to be my ideal hero. 



Study 61 

But he won't supplant you, Father, as the best man 
I know or have heard about. Well, I like Luther now, 
and I don't care who knows it, and I am going to read 
other books about him too, all of them if I can. There 
are other girls who say the same. And the boys are 
just crazy about him. I have now secured "Through 
Luther to Liberty/' and am half through that, too. 
Next year will be a big Luther year — 400 years since 
the Reformation began, we are urged to read not only 
books about him, but also books by him. 

" 'Now, to tell you about the festival. We had two 
programs — one in the forenoon and one in the evening. 
Prof. Nessvig of our college was the orator on the 
forenoon program. We think our professors here know 
a good deal, but try to imagine, if you can, what 
the professors at a college must know. I marched into 
the chapel together with my classmates as eager as any 
to see and hear this great speaker that should honor 
us with his visit and wisdom. I wondered whether 
I would be able to understand anything he said. One 
of the girls told me that professors at college could 
talk Latin and often did so in public speeches. But 
Prof. Nessvig spoke so plain that I could understand 
every word he said. He talked about "Searching the 
Scriptures" and gave as the most illustrious example 
among men who had searched the Scriptures, Dr. 
Martin Luther. I was so glad that I had already pre- 
pared for this festival by reading "The Schonberg- 
Cotta Family." I now understood better what you 
mean by saying that we ought to prepare for the Sun- 
day service by reading the text, at least, before going 
to church. I could follow the speaker when he de- 
scribed Luther's eagerness to learn, glimpses of his 
school days, his joy at finding the Bible and in read- 
ing, translating and explaining it. His speech was 
illustrated by pictures from the life of Luther thrown 




LUTHER DISCOVERS THE BIBLE. 



Study 69 

on a big white background. We saw him in his 
humble home, in his first school, singing in the streets, 
studying in the library, doing penance in the monk's 
cell, working at the university as a professor, and 
preaching, nailing his theses, giving witness at the 
Diet of Worms, translating at the castle of Wartburg, 
playing horse with the children at- his home, etc. The 
Bible seemed to appear everywhere in his life. 
"Luther searched the Scriptures/' said the speaker, 
"that is, he was looking for something/' And he found 
something new, yet old — the Gospel, or Good News 
of salvation by faith. The speaker said that we, too, 
should eagerly search the Bible, for the Gospel is a 
power unto salvation for all who believe. It would 
make us free indeed, if we accepted its message. It 
would make us invincible. He said that the Bible was 
like a castle with many — thousands of treasure cham- 
bers. But Luther gave us a key that will open every 
locked door and the Lord will give us a light to illu- 
mine every dark corner and every feeble eye. The 
key is the "Smaller Catechism," the light is the Holy 
Spirit, freely granted to all who ask for Him. He 
concluded by saying that princes ought to know their 
Father's will, and congratulated us on the splendid 
privilege of attending a school for princes. 

" T have tried hard to tell you the main points of his 
address, because you are always scolding me for not 
being able to tell what a speaker has said. I have done 
the best I could and I trust you will be satisfied. The 
evening program was more varied — papers by the stu- 
dents, songs and music, a short speech by Prof. Glass, 
my history teacher, on the "Influence of Luther upon 
the World." It seems that Luther influenced every 
department of thought and work, every Church and 
every people, and all through searching the Scriptures. 
His picture of the rising sun kissing the mountain 



70 The Academy for Princes 

tops and illuminating the valleys, was beautiful. 
Luther rose as the daystar dispelling the darkness 
of the middle ages and bringing light to all. 
Now my letter is long and tedious and I shall close 
with love to all. Tell Louisetta and Dagny to write 
to me. I wrote last. And all of you be sure to write 
me a long, long letter. I am too busy to get very lone- 
some, but I get caught unawares at times. 

Your studious daughter, Julia. " 

Mrs. Danielson : "Isn't she a good letter writer, 
though?" 

Danielson : "And she seems to like it out there, 
too. She thought she wouldn't. She was sure she 
would hate the school and die of a broken heart. It 
seems that young ladies can be happy at Christian 
schools as well as at high schools. " 



Chapter Nine. 
APPLICATION. 

Danielson (at Pastor Halm's) : "I come over on 
Monday, because I imagine this is your most quiet 
day. For about two months I have longed to speak 
to you at length in private, but I have become more 
and more fearful and tempted to keep silent." 

Halm: "Why, what is the trouble? You have 
never been afraid of me before and do not need to be 
afraid of me now." 

Danielson: "I have had my misgivings just the 
same. But I have thought it was my duty to come, 
therefore I am here at last." 

Halm: "What can I do for you, sir?" 

Danielson : "I wanted to find out why you have 
sent your oldest son to the university, your oldest girl 
to the Congregational college and your second daugh- 
ter to the high school." 

Halm : "I do not see that it should make any differ- 
ence to you where I send them." 

Danielson : "Would it make any difference to you 
where I sent my children? Suppose I sent them to 
the movies and theaters, to dances and prize fights 
and the like?" 

Halm : "That is quite different. We are talking 
about schools." 

Danielson : "There was a time when you spoke 
otherwise. It is not four months since you preached 
on 'Mary at the Feet of Jesus' and urged us to send 
our children to church schools." 

Halm: "Well, what of it?" 

Danielson : "Practise what you preach. Your 



72 The Academy for Princes 

people are not fools. They will observe your acts, and 
think and talk. Their talk gives me much heartfelt 
pain. Your act is so confusingly strange and incon- 
sistent with your previous record that it has made me 
feel sad, indeed. I know others, too, who do not know 
what to make of it." 

'Halm : "Oh, I wish you would leave me alone. I 
have been struggling with this subject for over 25 
years and I want peace. I do not want to bother my 
poor head any more about the school question. Let 
each one have freedom to study where he pleases. " 

Danielson : "I am ready to go whenever you bid 
me, yet before going I would like to say a few words : 
You have been my pastor now for twelve years and 
I want to say that you have been more to me than I 
can fully realize. When you came I at once noted the 
emphasis you laid on the authority of the Word of 
God. We should read it to find out what it had to 
say and when we had found out its teachings we 
should apply them. Tf any man will do His will, he 
shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or 
whether I speak of myself/ You set the young people 
to study their Bibles and the Luther League topics. 
You gathered us older people at devotional meetings 
w r here we read the Scriptures and prayed. We went 
home and began at your advice reading the Bible 
with our families. We began searching the Scriptures 
on many questions that came up in and outside of 
the Congregation. You spoke for every church ac- 
tivity, but presented the school question in such a 
way that I for one was induced to send my children 
to the church academy. I am not sorry for having 
taken your sermons to heart and for having acted on 
your personal advice. Now, I shall leave. But I 
wish to say in leaving that I am very thankful to 
you for the fearless, seasonable and sensible words 






Application 73 

you have spoken in regard to Christian education, and 
I shall try to profit by them in the future even though 
you yourself pronounce them false doctrine and 
foolish practice. " 

Halm : "Sit down, Danielson. You have been a 
faithful supporter of me through thick and thin in 
this Congregation, and I do not want to seem un- 
grateful. It has been no easy task to be a pastor for 
this flock. You know about some of the battles which 
have been fought here w T ith wolves without and 
wolves within the fold. I want to give you credit for 
always helping me by word and deed. Enough said 
about my struggles. As to the school question I really 
do not like to say anything, but sit down and I will 
tell you a little about my hopeless case." 

Danielson: "Do not say hopeless. While there is 
life there is hope." 

Halm : "Just wait and you will see if it is not hope- 
less. My mother was very religious and a devout 
Bible reader. I felt a deep desire in early childhood 
to become a Bible scholar, possibly a pastor or Bible 
teacher. We were extremely poor, so I had to start 
working on my 13th birthday. I made up my mind 
that I would study at a church academy if mother 
. permitted. She did so, and at 15 I enrolled at the 
academy and paid my way through this school by 
very hard manual labor. Later I worked my way 
through the church college. I had hoped to get a 
pretty good position when I finished college, for I 
had done good work at school and was willing to 
serve faithfully and well. I wanted to teach at one 
of our academies, but there was no opening. I tried 
to get a high school position, but our college at that 
time was neither recognized nor even known among 
state school men, so I had no show at all. I have been 
pleased to see that now the graduates of our college 



74 The Academy for Princes 

are better treated than I was as an applicant. Then 
I applied for a country school. After visiting 19 
school boards, through the influence of a friend I 
secured a school at $35 a month, providing I could 
get a certificate. The students at the state schools 
receive certificates on their school diplomas, but mine 
was not recognized. The county superintendent of 
schools said I had to take examinations. This I did, 
and passed, of course. But the point is : After 8 
years of excellent work at good church schools I had 
to take examinations to get a second grade certificate, 
and had to crawl in the dust to get a $35 job. If I 
had done as hard work at the state schools I would 
have had a place at $100 a month without the asking. 
I tried again to get an academy position, but failed. 
Tf I were to teach/ I thought, 'then the only thing 
for me to do was to attend some state school/ This 
I did. I attended the university for a while, mean- 
while making my living at manual labor. The train- 
ing I had at the church school was just as thorough, 
so that I had no difficulty in keeping up with the uni- 
versity trained scholars. The only thing that was 
against me there was my previous religious bringing 
up. 'Why don't you dance?' said the dean to me at 
a social gathering. T do not believe in it/ I answered. 
He thereupon gave me the advice that if I expected 
to get along in this world I would have to mix with 
the people and do as they did. And, afterwards 
when he recommended me as a good student, he added 
that I came from a small college, was narrow and had 
peculiar notions, so that his recommendation de- 
stroyed my chances of securing a job. At last, I 
secured a high school place and worked in high schools 
ten years, but was never satisfied. My church train- 
ing had spoiled me for the high schools. I was never 
satisfied in having to keep silent on Christianity. 



Application 75 

Therefore I have never been a supporter of the public 
school, and have until now consistently spoken for 
the church school. 

"My argument has been that the children of 
God should have a good knowledge of His Word, 
and that He will provide for a position for every- 
body according to his equipment and worth. I 
have consoled myself with the thought that what I 
wanted was not good for me, and that the Lord 
wanted me to be an ambassador for Christ, praying 
in His stead, 'Be ye reconciled to God/ I have held 
that the church schools are better than the state 
schools, because the church schools teach Christianity, 
the one great need of a sinful and sorrowful world. 
On the other hand, even though the state schools 
have many Christian teachers, they are as institutions 
either un-Christian or anti-Christian, and leave the 
mind worldly, indifferent to orthodoxy or opposed to 
it. This manner of speaking has not won me many 
honors, though, let me tell you. You have no idea 
of how many times I have been called fanatical and 
radical ! how many times I have been snubbed and 
set aside. I have tried to support the church school, 
too, from out of my small and hard earned income. 
When I quit teaching and entered the ministry I gave 
one-half of my property to the church schools ; for 
several years, while the family was smaller and the 
food stuff cheaper, I gave up to one tenth of my in- 
come to schools, without neglecting the other appeals 
for help. And so far I have sent two of my children 
to the academy. I have held that a man should prac- 
tise what he preaches. " 

Danielson : "Your example has been the most 
powerful argument for Christian education that this 
community has ever been witness to, therefore your 
present conduct has created amazement and ridicule. " 



76 The Academy for Princes 

Halm : "I can not tell you everything. But I am at 
times very weak. My nerves and my faith go to 
pieces together at times. At our synodical meeting 
this summer there was the usual scrap about the 
church schools. Some regard them as mill stones 
around the neck of the Church ; others regard the state 
schools as a Goliath who is mocking the men of Is- 
rael. Many unwarranted charges are made on both 
sides. You have read about the fuss started by Presi- 
dent Theodore by a passage in his annual address on 
the anti-Christian tendency of the state schools ?" 

Danielson : "Yes, the committee on schools ob- 
jected to such language as unfair and disloyal, where- 
upon a brisk debate ensued. " 

Halm : "Yes, I won't go into detail about that de- 
bate. It is about as popular to attack the public 
schools as to attack the lodge. I also took part in a 
small way. I did not want to attack the public 
schools, for I have attended them and have learned 
so many good things from them ; most of the teachers 
there are good men and women working hard to per- 
form their heavy and often thankless tasks. But the 
church school is a school for princes, and is better. 
The best of state schools without Christianity from 
the teachers or some outside sources would produce 
only educated heathen at best, but the poorest church 
academy can train up a youth the way he should go* 
Do you know what Professor Boby said about this 
mode of reasoning?" 

Danielson : "He is a broad-minded, diplomatic 
man, and would be apt to say that you were extreme." 

Halm : "He said I was too radical. Do you know 
what the great schoolman, the Rev. Dr. Severin 
said?" 

Danielson : "No." 



Application 77 

Halm : "He said that speaking against the state 
school was just as foolish as speaking against the 
secret societies. The Church in a fight with these 
institutions would merely make plain to the world its 
impotence. Therefore he advised me earnestly as a 
true friend to hold my tongue/' 

Danielson : "But Luther did not hold his tongue. 
He spoke against the educational system of his times 
and called for more Bible study, Catechism and Gos- 
pel Christianity. " 

Halm : "I know that. I have had many a struggle 
within my soul whether I should keep silent or speak 
on in behalf of the academies. I had a long siege of 
doubt and dismay before I preached the sermon on 
'Mary at the Feet of Jesus' that you referred to. Then 
I went to a pastoral conference and the question came 
up again. Most of the pastors take the position that 
we can never get a congregational school system to 
take the place of the common school. Many hold that 
such a system would be a calamity to both State and 
Church. The majority also holds that since every 
village is establishing a high school it is unwise to 
send the children to the academy. They object also 
to the church college, because it is more expensive 
than it was a generation ago, and because it cannot 
compete with the powerful state universities. With 
this frame of mind many of the pastors openly kndi'k 
their own schools whenever they can. I can name a 
dozen professors who have never sent their children 
to any academy or church college, but only to the 
state institutions. I can name possibly a hundred 
pastors who have done the same. And there are 
thousands upon thousands of deacons and other good 
church people who would not send their children to 
a church school to save their lives. Israel w r anted to 
be like her Canaanitish neighbors. Church people, 



78 The Academy for Princes 

pastors and professors included, want to be like the 
world. I am tired of the struggle. I talked it over 
with Mrs. Halm and then with the children. 'Cor- 
nelius/ said I, 'if you had your choice, would you go 
to our college or to the state university?' 'I have quit 
asking/ he said, 'but nevertheless I still prefer to go 
to the university/ 'And where would you like to go, 
Hannah?' 'I have heard so much about the Congre- 
gational college, where so many of my girl friends go, 
and where Miss Snyder got her degree. That college 
would be my choice/ she replied. 'And you, little 
one/ I said to Bergit, 'where would you like to continue 
your education?' 'The high school for me, Papa,' she 
promptly answered. 'The thing is settled,' I said, 
looking to Mother for approval. She nodded assent, 
having long felt that way. 'Hurrah for the fun,' burst 
from three happy throats. Now you know why my 
children are not going to our schools this year." 

Danielson: "But are you not afraid that Clarence 
will be robbed of his faith at the university? Pastor 
Solen's boy took a course in philosophy of religion 
down there and became an open scoffer. He was a 
graduate of our college before going there." 

Halm : "Such accidents do happen. I took that 
course, but the philosophy did not bother me any. 
The teacher held that religion was a natural human 
state, and that Christianity was one of a thousand 
natural religious manifestations in the evolution of 
the race. In some respects it was ahead of the times, 
in others far behind. New and better religions would 
evolve in the years to come. I took no interest in 
this course." 

Danielson : "Your boy riiay be otherwise affected 
by this or some other heresy so dogmatically pro- 
claimed in the name of the highest scholarship and 
research." 



Application 79 

Halm : "I am tired of the fight and have sur- 
rendered unconditionally. " 

Danielson : "And is that Congregational school 
the proper place for a Lutheran girl?" 

Halm : "Why not ? My neighbor, Rev. Adam- 
son, sent his daughter there, and he is supposed to 
be one of the most conservative Lutherans in the 
ministry. There are thousands of Lutheran ministers 
that he does not consider brethren in the faith, be- 
cause they do not agree with him on the question of 
Predestination. And then there is the Rev. Prof. 
Nagol who is the dean and chief professor at this 
college. It doesn't seem wrong for him to leave the 
Lutheran ministry and teach in a Congregational 
college." 

Danielson : "I will not say any more, except that 
I do not think it right for a preacher's children to do 
as your children are doing." 

Halm : "They are as yet not doing anything wrong, 
and I hope they never shall. It is no worse for a 
preacher's children to go where they please than for 
other people's children to decide on their school. In 
this country the children as a rule do the deciding." 

Danielson : "In itself it is no worse for the pastor 
or his children to do this, but the example is so much 
more conspicuous and demoralizing." 

Halm: "My example hitherto has been only a 
source of loss and sorrow to me and of irritation and 
amusement to others. I have seen no fruits of my 
work." 

Danielson : "You are mistaken. I can testify to 
fruit of your work. It is not given to every farmer 
who labored in sowing time to see the harvest. One 
may plant and another may reap. 'Neither is he that 
planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God 



80 The Academy for Princes 

that giveth increase ; and every man shall receive his 
own reward according to his own labor. For we are 
laborers together with God.' " 

Halm : "I have dropped this academy agitation 
and do not want to resume hostilities. " 

Danielson : "The Church here on earth is militant 
to the end of time. We must be in the fight against 
the Devil, the world and our own flesh until death 
releases us. We must do His work until the end, be 
faithful and receive the crown of life." 

Halm : "Thousands and tens of thousands are 
letting their children choose their school and they are 
not considered worse Christians on that account. " 

Danielson : "The question is not what others are 
doing. The question is, whether we who believe that 
a prince of the house of God should be taught God's 
Word, or not. A preacher should practise what he 
preaches. When we have prayed for enlightenment 
and have studied His Word and know His will, then 
we should obey it and do according to it, no matter 
what the world about us thinks and says and does. 
Now, giving God's children a Christian training is 
an explicit command from the Great Teacher, our 
King: 'Teaching them to observe all things what- 
soever I have commanded you/ and that is authorita- 
tive and conclusive enough for me. The choice of 
school is a vital issue, as Lunde calls it in his book 
on 'Life Problems/ Two tracks may run out from 
a town side by side, but one may lead north and the 
other south. To be a disciple of the Lord leads to a 
safe destination ; to be otherwise is too risky for com- 
fort." 

Halm : "I consider this discussion ended." 

Danielson : "All right. But may I say what has 
occurred to me as I have been glancing at the picture 



Application 



81 



that hangs on the wall back of you, of Naaman dipping 
in the Jordan? I recall an address you made before 
the Luther League on how to study the Bible. You 
said that there where three normal steps in Bible 
study : prayer, study, and application. This time you 
wished to speak on application. When the Lord com- 
manded a thing, the way to find out if it were true, 




NAAMAN DIPPING IN THE JORDAN. 
From Foster's "Story of the Bible." 

was to try it. For example : Tt is more blessed to 
give than to receive' ; or, 'Do good to them that hate 
you.' The story of Naaman is a fine illustration of 
application. Naaman was a Syrian general. All was 
well with him except one thing — he was a leper. He 
was sent to Samaria to be cured of his fatal disease. 
He had no doubt in mind that Elisha would receive 
him in state and move heaven and earth to cure him. 
But Elisha would not look at him at all. He sent a 



82 The Academy for Princes 

messenger to tell the general to dip seven times in the 
Jordan. Then Naaman was wroth, and said : 'Be- 
hold, I thought, he will surely come out to me, and 
stand and call on the name of the Lord, his God, and 
strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.' 
He thought that the rivers of Damascus were far 
better to wash in than all the waters of Israel, and 
turned away in a rage to go home. But his servants, 
knowing that he was sick unto death, that his country 
needed him, that he had come so far to get healed, 
that he had taken along a fortune to pay for help, 
and that it would not hurt to try this simple remedy 
of Elisha's, pleaded with their master: 'My father, 
if the prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, 
wouldst thou not have done it?' At this he cooled 
down and betook himself to the Jordan to do as the 
Lord had commanded. 'This is the way to use God's 
Word/ you said. 'Do what it says.' Then you con- 
tinued: 'Let us imagine we are in Naaman's place. 
We dip once and come up — still as leprous as ever. 
We dip a second time and come up — the leprosy was 
still there. We dip a third time — no change; we 
think: perhaps the whole thing was a fake? We dip 
a fourth time— the same as ever, sore upon sore ; per- 
haps the prophet meant it as a joke, or an insult to the 
arms of Syria? We dip a fifth time — the servants, 
too, are losing hope ; we'll get out of this and go home 
and turn our swords against Samaria. We dip a sixth 
time — our hopeless misery comes again to view; we 
will quit right here. — We dip a seventh time, accord- 
ing to the saying of the man of God — and our flesh 
came again like the flesh of a little child, and we are 
clean/ Thus you spoke on that day, adding that 
application was the final step in Bible study and 
Christian worship. Good morning, Pastor. " 



Chapter Ten. 
ITS EFFECTS. 

Danielson (as neighbor Morgan enters) : "How 
do you do, Mr. Morgan. Sit down and rest a while 
after the day's toil." 

Morgan : "Thank you. I have been pondering a 
bit since I saw you last, on the great question we have 
been discussing. It seems to me that the number of 
people who regard their sons and daughters as actual 
children of God, real princes and princesses, is very 
small. Now I have always been under Christian in- 
fluences, and I have often said I was a child of God. 
Yet I must confess that I have not looked upon this 
sonship in the light that you do, and I have not re- 
garded my children as real royal personages entitled 
to a royal training. That does not mean that I have 
not thought of giving them the very best education 
within my means ; for I have, in fact, planned to give 
them a much better training than I, myself, have had." 

Danielson : "I admire your purpose. Why not 
send this oldest girl of yours who has just begun high 
school to a church school this fall?" 

Morgan: "There you are again. Why should I 
waste money that way when I can send her to the 
local high school? Besides the high school is much 
better." 

Danielson : "The high school is not better." 

Morgan : "That is news to me. We put more 
money into our high schools than into our academies. 
w y e have better buildings, libraries, laboratories, and 
gymnasiums, and better paid, if not better, teachers, 
and the graduates of the high schools have more and 
better openings than the academy graduates." 



84 The Academy for Princes 

Danielson : "I can hardly admit this point, and yet 
— high schools do not teach the one thing most needed 
for success in life, the Word of God. This the church 
school aims to do. I imagine the great King wants 
His princes and princesses trained 'to observe all 
things whatsoever He has commanded/ ' 

Morgan : "But we are living in an age of progress 
and must give our children the education demanded 
by the times or they will be set aside and get no place 
in this world. " 

Danielson : "Progress, yes. That word is a spell- 
binder. We see many and rapid changes, but not all 
of them mean progress. Some of them are for the 
worst, not for the better. Every new school superin- 
tendent tinkers with the school courses and makes 
changes in the name of progress. It seems as if 
nothing is stable and of permanent value, and yet 
there are school subjects which are always essential, 
and there are truths which never change. Do you 
think that the multiplication table will ever get old- 
fashioned or out of date?" 

Morgan : "Certainly not." 

Danielson : "Do you think that the way of salva- 
tion has changed and that the youth of today can get 
along without the knowledge of it?" 

Morgan: "Well, hardly." 

Danielson : "The academies keep on teaching the 
multiplication tables and the way of salvation and 
many other essentials, and their work surely ought 
to fit the students for a place in this world as well as 
in the world to come." 

Morgan : "But the high schools also teach essen- 
tials, besides being better equipped, more up to date 
and nearer home." 

Danielson : "But they omit the one thing essential 




AS RAIN. 




AS SNOW. 



86 



The Academy for Princes 



absolutely needed by every child and commanded by 
the Great Teacher, our Lord and Master. Listen, 
friend, when you came in I was looking at these two 
pictures. They illustrate the passage in Isaiah, 'For 
as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, 
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and 
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed 
to the sower, and bread to the eater ; so shall my Word 
be that goeth out of my mouth : it shall not return 
unto me void, but shall accomplish w T hat I please, and 
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it/ Do 
you believe this saying, Morgan?" 
Morgan: "I certainly do." 

Danielson : "Supposing you and I then try to ap- 
ply this illustration to the work of the school and prac- 
tical everyday life. You start, Mr. Morgan." 
Morgan: "I am not a thinker or preacher." 
Danielson: "But just for the fun of it let us see 
what we can get out of it. Can't you think of any 
applications?" 

Morgan : "Well, everybody needs rain and snow." 
Danielson : "And everybody needs the Word of 
God." 

Morgan : "Rain and snow are freely given." 
Danielson : "And so is the Word of God." 
Morgan: "But not always thankfully received." 
Danielson : "Nor is the Word of God always ac- 
cepted with thanksgiving." 

Morgan : "The rain and snow cleanse the air, re- 
move impurities, kill disease germs." 

Danielson : "The Word of God sanctifies the 
heart, removes temptations and doubts, destroys the 
power of sin." 






Its Effects 87 

Morgan : "The rain and snow make soil of the 
crumbling rock." 

Danielson : "The Word of God softens the heart 
of stone." 

Morgan : "Rain and snow make the desert blossom 
as the rose." 

Danielson : "God's Word transfigures the barren 
heart, makes it bring forth fruits of repentance and 
righteousness, of faith, hope and love, even unto a 
hundredfold." 

Morgan : "Every drop of rain in falling cools the 
summer air and w r aters the parched earth's crust; 
every flake of snow in forming warms the winter air 
and blankets the earth." 

Danielson : "The Word of God both cools and 
warms up. It restrains the heart full of evil passions ; 
it inspires the heart indifferent and unbelieving. It 
fills the heart with righteousness, peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost. It protects against the blasting infidelity 
and the frigid rationalism of all times and places. 
'Every Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that 
the man of God may be perfect, furnished unto all 
good works/ " 

Morgan : " 'Every shower in Minnesota is worth 
a million dollars/ says the weatherman. 'For every 
inch of snow on the field a bushel of wheat/ adds the 
farmer. Rain and snow give seed to the sower and 
bread to the eater." 

Danielson : "I believe that every Gospel sermon, 
every Sunday school lesson, every hour of instruction 
in Christianity at school increases the price of real 
estate. Put a chapel into a slum and the saloons have 
to give way to the grocery stores and factories. The 
Word of God does not return void." 



88 The Academy for Princes 

Morgan : "Rain and snow water abundantly and 
overflowingly. The springs and wells are filled, and 
satisfies the thirst of man and beast. The streams 
and waterfalls aid navigation and manufacture. The 
glaciers and mountain streams are marvels of purity 
and power/' 

Danielson : "The Word of God is abundantly and 
graciously given, satisfying the thirst of every human 
heart, making men strong to carry on the world's 
work and to attempt new and greater things for hu- 
manity and the Lord. It is a mountain stream of 
absolute purity and unlimited power." 

Morgan: "Rain and snow are very abundant, and 
in some form water is almost everywhere present. I 
have heard say that about four-fifths of the earth's 
surface is covered with water to an average depth of 
over two miles. The average annual rainfall is nearly 
two feet. Some places, indeed, get no rain, such as 
Sahara, but other localities get from 50 to 600 inches 
a year. Water is a constituent of nearly all minerals, 
of all vegetables and animals. Even the human body 
is three-fourths water. The human eye is nearly all 
water." 

Danielson: "The Word of God is just as wonder- 
ful. The Bible is as the ocean, vast and deep. Some 
people, indeed, do not get the Word of God, such as 
part of heathen lands, and many young people of 
America ; but there is no reason why we should not 
have an abundant rainfall and a fruitful land instead 
of a Sahara." 

Morgan : "The waterdrops and the snowflakes are 
perfect in their beauty. I have read that one man 
photographed 11,000 snowflakes built on the same pat- 
tern, but no two were alike." 

Danielson : "So the Word of God is perfect in 



Its Effects 89 

every way, and a thing of joy and beauty forever, 
more to be desired than gold, yes, than fine gold, and 
sweeter than honey from the honey-comb. Every 
word is perfect as the waterdrop, extremely delicate 
as the snowflake. The precious promises of God, for 
example, are thousands in number, all built on the 
same pattern, but no two alike. " 

Morgan : "Well, I must be going." 

Danielson : "Sorry. Can't you stay longer? But, 
say : Don't you think it would be worth while to let 
your children come under the influence of the Word 
of God in the same way as the land is influenced by 
the rain that cometh down and the snow from heaven? 
The Lord has promised that it shall not return void, 
but it shall prosper in the thing whereto He sent it. 
Tnstead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and 
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree/ ' 

Morgan : "Well, I don't know. Everybody is send- 
ing his children to the high schools, and I do hate to 
be different from everybody else. Besides I should 
like to give my children the best chance there is in 
this world." 

Danielson : "It seems to me that these pictures 
and this Bible passage testify to the fact that there 
is no good chance without the Word of God. Are 
you going, Neighbor? Good night." 



Chapter Eleven. 
AT HOME. 

Morgan (coming home from a trip to his boyhood 
town) : "I was so pleased to meet Louisetta and Joey 
at the depot. And the man who is glad to get back 
home is myself. " 

Knute Morgan : "We are more than glad to have 
you back, Papa." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Indeed, we are." 

Telia : "You are my good old papa, aren't you ?" 

Mary: "I am Papa's girl." 

Mrs. Morgan : "We are all delighted to have you 
back. The seven days you have been away have 
seemed seven years." 

Morgan : "When I went away I was thinking of 
the verse, 

'When I was playing with my brother, 

Happy was I. 
Oh, take me to my kind old mother, 

There let me live and die.' 

My brother used to sing that verse when I was a 
little shaver of six or seven. Now the old home is 
gone. Brother is not there. Mother is not there. 
Everything was strange, except the memories. Even 
the landscape was on a smaller scale and more forlorn 
than I had pictured it in my mind." 

Mrs. Morgan: "We are all ears to hear about your 
trip. You tell us over the coffee cup." 

Morgan : "I ate supper before leaving town, yet 
I can take a cup of Holstad's coffee, prepared by the 
best cook in the land, if you please." 



At Home 91 

Louisetta : "We are listening." 

Knute: "Do tell." 

Morgan : "While going out there, as I say, I kept 
thinking of the lines from 'Suwanee River/ but when 
coming home I was all taken up with 'Home, Sweet 
Home/ I w r ill positively not tell anything until we 
have sung this song together." 

All (together) : 

" 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, 
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." 

Joey: "Now, go on and tell !" 

Morgan : "I don't know where to begin. Nor am 
I able to tell everything at one time. About the first 
place I visited was the old home. I met the present 
owner near the barn that I helped to build. I told 
him I used to live there and liked to see the place. 
'Is that so?' he said, without offering to show me 
around. I talked with our nearest neighbor. He 
didn't know me. I said I had been his neighbor for 
14 years. 'Is that so?' he also said. 'Do you know 
my name?' I asked. 'It isn't Dale?' he replied. 'No, 
it's Morgan.' He scratched his head and said he 
thought he had heard that name before." 

Joey: "He surely is some blockhead." 

Morgan : "Oh, no, but it is easy to forget, espe- 
cially if you are not particularly interested. Well, I 
walked around some of the neighbors' buildings, then 
I went to the old swimming hole, where w T e used to 
catch frogs and mudturtles and cook and eat." 

Knute: "I wish there was a swimming hole in this 
neighborhood. Then Joey and I could have some fun 
too. Everybody says froglegs are a treat." 

Morgan : "Froglegs taste exactly like cooked shoe- 
soles and are delicious. — After this I went to the high 



92 The Academy for Princes 

school building, which I hadn't visited for 25 years. 
I recalled many happy events. Here we used to sing 
the 'Gospel Hymn' songs : 'Wonderful things in the 
Bible I see, This is the dearest that Jesus loves me/ 
'At the Cross/ 'Almost persuaded/ and* the like ; also 
such classics, as: 'Hush, be still as any mouse, 
There's a baby in our house/ 'Oh, May, dearest May/ 
'Three blind mice/ 'The Dutchman's dream,' and 
others equally appropriate. In addition to singing at 
opening exercises we always had Bible reading and 
prayer by the school principal in those days, but now 
the Bible and prayer have been excluded by law and 
public sentiment. I remembered very well where I 
used to sit and the pretty girl in the neighboring seat. 
When for some reason or other she once moved 
further back, I discovered that my seat was too small, 
and I convinced the professor that the seat behind 
hers was just the right size for a boy of my length. 
I moved down to her." 

Knute: "Papa, you are a good one. I'll bet she 
was your girl." 

Telia: "Louisetta has a fellow. He is Irish, too. 
His name is Ernest." 

Knute: "She has two-three fellows." - 

Joey: "Four. Don't forget Arthur Johnson, her 
first one." 

Louisetta: "I haven't any fellows. I just hate 
those nasty boys, now there." 

Morgan: "Shall I continue? All right. I went 
to the academy in that town, the school where I and 
Mother attended together. I missed some of the old 
teachers, as, Nish, Rossel, Mueller, Tvedtlin, Book- 
stead, Gross, Larson, Schmidt, Feensat and Andreas 
Foss. I recalled many happy days, although more of 
a serious nature than at high school. The songs we 



At Home 93 

sung there were mainly Lutheran chorals, deep and 
lofty, solemn and edifying. The day opened and 
closed with chapel devotion. I had to pay my way 
and tried to get my money's w r orth." 

Joey: "But you did take time to look at Miss Anna 
Hus, the present Mrs. Morgan?" 

Morgan : "You can depend on it, and I have never 
been sorry for it either. But I shall tonight tell only 
of one more visit. I called on a respected citizen of 
the town, an old friend of our family by the name of 
Drot, and stayed the night over with him. He has 
an ideal home. What makes his home so delightful 
is not the house, for it is plain and old, yet neat and 
clean; but it is rather the spirit between the parents 
and children. There were obedience, respect and every 
other household virtue. Mornings and evenings the 
father led in devotion, consisting of prayer, Bible 
reading, a catechetical question or two and song. All 
said grace before and after meat. I remarked as I saw 
the two husky lads and the two bright young ladies 
line up at the table: T suppose your children are all 
at high school these days/ 'Yes and no. I have had 
the honor to be on the school board eight years and 
I have been president of the board for five years. I 
think a good deal of our free public institutions, espe- 
cially the public school system ; and I do all in my 
power to improve the schools, as for example, by 
getting high-minded, moral, Christian men and wo- 
men as teachers, getting text books that do not an- 
tagonize Christianity, keeping a check on the social 
and athletic life of the schools, and so on. I have 
heard it said by school inspectors that our high school 
is as good as the best. Yet I do not send my children 
there, and therefore I answered no. But they are 
attending another school, of a high school grade, and 
therefore I answered yes/ I replied to this that I did 



94 The Academy for Princes 

not quite understand. He continued : 'We have one 
of our church academies here. This has a high school 
course and two years of college work. I am a profess- 
ing Christian and believe, therefore, that my family 
are of royal estate, children of the Most High. As 
such they are entitled to something more than secular 
training. They should be taught God's Word. Our 
high school does not pretend to give them this knowl- 
edge nor would it be permitted to give it to them. 
I do not blame the high school for not giving it. I 
would object if the high school began to meddle with 
it. The high school does not teach medicine, and if 
a teacher there began to do so, I would have a board 
meeting at once for a hearing. And if a teacher be- 
gan meddling with theology, I would have his duties 
laid out to him in plain Anglo-Saxon. If I wanted 
my boys to study medicine I would send them, not 
to the high school, but to a medical school. The high 
school has no authority to teach medicine. And if 
I want them to study Christianity I must send them 
to one of our schools which we have founded and 
maintain for that very purpose. We are fortunate 
in having an academy so near/ 

" 'Do all the Lutherans in town make use of 
the academy?' I asked. 'By no means. My next 
neighbor, for example, is a director for the acad- 
emy, but sends his children to the high school/ 
'The high school gives better instruction, I sup- 
pose/ I remarked. 'Don't you believe it. We have 
the same secular subjects, the same text books 
in most subjects, and efficient teachers in both places. 
I take pride in securing able teachers of good char- 
acter and successful discipline as instructors in the 
high school, but I have noted with satisfaction that 
the academy staff is not a whit worse. The instruc- 
tion at the academy is in safe hands/ I did not doubt 



At Home 95 

this, for my own experience has been that I did not 
have to do much studying at high school, but I had 
to work hard every evening to keep up with the 
academy classes. 'Would you send your children 
away from home if the academy were not located 
here?' I then inquired. 'Would I send them away to 
a medical school, if I wanted them to become physi- 
cians? Of course, I would. I would send them to 
the school that would give me what I want. I want 
what I want when I want it/ 'But are the children 
willing? Did not they object?' I asked, beaming upon 
them mischievously. 'The children will of necessity 
do my will until they become of age. I am the head 
of this house. I do not say this as a tyrant, but as 
a Christian. I can also testify in the presence of my 
children they have been wonderfully obedient. They 
have never objected to going to the academy. I have 
always spoken highly of the academy and of the high 
school, but explained the difference in the character 
of the schools. The high school is a state school to 
train its growing generation into intelligent and moral 
citizenship ; every one of the native born boys at this 
school is in line for the presidency of the United 
States and is a temporal prince. The academy is a 
church school to train the children of God, the heav- 
enly princes, for their work in the Church and in the 
State and for a successful entrance into their Father's 
country beyond the grave. My children know why 
I send them to the academy, just as a normal student 
knows why he is sent to a normal school, or a cadet 
knows why he is sent to the military academy or a 
dental student knows why he enters a school of den- 
tistry/ But enough of this conversation with Drot. 
I carried away a delightful and ever abiding impres- 
sion of the influence of the home in forming the opin- 
ions of the children/' 



96 The Academy for Princes 

Mrs. Morgan : "I am sure we have much to learn 
before we do as we ought to do." 

Morgan: "Hush, I did not refer to you. I was 
thinking of myself. I fall so far short of the ideal. 
Isn't that so, little Mary?" 

Mary: "Yes." 

Louisetta: "It isn't either. (Giving her papa a 
hug.) You are the most ideal father in the world." 

Morgan: "Now. that will do, Miss Morgan. — There 
was also another feature about the Drot family that 
I admired. Every one of them spoke a cultured 
English, when English was spoken, and a cultured 
Norwegian, when Norwegian was used. At home 
they seemed to prefer to use Norwegian. I made a 
remark as to this. Mr. Drot said that they had made 
it a policy to use the Norwegian at home almost ex- 
clusively ever since the children began to talk. He 
said that it was a right and a duty and a privilege to 
learn about one's forefathers, their history and life, 
their language and religion. We are rooted to the 
past. Our roots draw nourishment from the soil of 
our ancestry. Take the Negroes ; they have no his- 
tory, no records. Take the Jews ; they have a won- 
derful history, most perfect records. The English 
have no reason to sneer at the foreign-born popula- 
tion for wanting to preserve the languages of the 
mother countries on American soil. The English is 
also a proud race anxious to pass its heritage of cul- 
ture on from generation to generation. The knowl- 
edge of foreign languages is not only an enviable ac- 
complishment, but a source of cultural wealth." 

Knute: "I can't understand all you say." 

Morgan: "What I mean to say is this: Can Ed 
Jones speak two languages?" 

Knute: "No, only one." 



At Home 97 

Morgan: "If he came and talked French to you 
tomorrow, what would you think of him?" 

Knute : "I would think he was a clever chap. I 
would envy him. All the girls would fall in love with 
such a bright, brainy boy. Louisetta would be no 
exception." 

Louisetta : "Knute !" 

Morgan : "No scrapping here. If he knew French, 
he could read French books and more easily under- 
stand the French ways and acquire the great stores 
of French learning. France has, of course, developed 
many things that we in America have not. To be 
able to get hold of this and understand it is going to 
make Ed a benefit to this land, that is what I mean, 
Sonny." 

Knute: "But what is the use of learning Nor- 
wegian?" 

Morgan : "Norwegian is a great and beautiful and 
useful language too, and unlocks the treasure cham- 
bers of the great Norwegian people." 

Louisetta : "I never heard at school that Norw T ay 
was much of anything." 

Morgan : "May I ask you, most learned young 
lady, if you have heard who discovered America and 
when?" 

Louisetta: "Columbus, in 1492." 

Morgan : "Did your Yankee book and Yankee 
teacher say anything about Leif coming here in the 
year 1,000, about the Norwegians in Minnesota in 
1362, about Columbus' visit to Iceland before setting 
sail for the Indies?" 

Louisetta: "No." 

Morgan : "To get honorable mention now-a-days 
a nation must be large in area or prepared for war. 



98 The Academy for Princes 

I heard a pastor say he had been conversing* with 
a Jap. 'What country you from?' asked the 
Jap. 'Norway/ answered the pastor. 'Little coun- 
try. No much fight. No good/ retorted the Jap. 
Norway could easily have had extensive territory if 
her statesmen had wanted to, for at one time in her 
history she overran, terrorized and conquered Ire- 
land, Scotland, England, Normandy, Russia, and other 
parts of the continent, besides setting foot on Green- 
land and the present United States and Canada. She 
was very warlike then, and is very peaceful now. She 
is in point of size first in the number of ships among 
nations ; her ships are seen in every large port in the 
world. She had occasion to go to war with her neigh- 
bor in 1905, but spent the time in prayer until the 
Lord said 'Peace, be still' to the storm of misunder- 
standing and the billows of nationalism. She decided 
to trust her neighbor, her big, kindly sister Sweden, 
without a preparedness program, just as we trust 
Willis and Danielson without placing cannon on our 
boundaries and carrying pistols and daggers in our 
belts. The United States can well afford to take 
notice of Norway and the Norwegians who helped to 
save the Union and build up the Northwest. Our 
histories ought at least to say that we exist and that 
we are a peaceful people/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Blessed are the peacemakers, for 
they shall be called the sons of God." 

Joey: "How about Henry Ford? They laugh at 
his peace effort/' 

Morgan: "I don't. I would rather be Henry Ford 
striving for peace than Charles Schwab manufacturing 
engines of war to kill off his own people. Blood 
money. But enough of this. Another time I shall tell 
you folks a few trrings about Norwegian history. 



At Home 99 

That is one of the things I did learn at the academy 
that I might have made more use of." 

Joey : "I wish I were English or something else 
than Norwegian. All of the United States history 
is about the English." 

Morgan : "My boy, the histories that you read have 
been written by Englishmen. They omit many things, 
as, for example, the real part that the Dutch, Ger- 
mans, Swedes, Irish, Norwegians, Danes, and other 
peoples have had in opening up this great land and 
making it a land of the free. If you knew a little 
more about the noble, honest, frugal, toiling, intelli- 
gent, patriotic, self-sacrificing, Christian people from 
which you have sprung you would never want to be 
anything else than a Norwegian, and you would want 
to grow up to be a credit to your ancestry/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Telia and Mary have been practis- 
ing with Louisetta a Christmas song. Will you listen, 
then they will perform?" 

Morgan: "With great pleasure." 

The three girls (singing) : 

"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, 

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head, 
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay, 
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay. 

"The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, 

But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes. 
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, 
And stand by my cradle till morning is nigh." 

Morgan: "Fine, very fine. Sing it again and w r e 
all will take part." 

All (singing) : 

Morgan : "Do you know who wrote this song and 
composed this tune?" 

Joey: "It was Luther. You know T that book on 



At Home 101 

Luther you gave me last Christmas? That has a 
picture of Luther at a Christmas tree with his family. " 

Morgan : "Yes, that book of pictures by Koenig, 
yes. I have often wished I could be like Luther in the 
home. You know the picture in the Sunday school 
paper, of his playing horse with his boys?" 

Knute: "And how we got you to play horse with 
us?" 

Morgan : "It was lots of fun. But now it is getting 
late. We shall have our devotions and go to bed. To- 
morrow is Saturday with its burdens." (Joey brings 
the Bible and hymnal). Morgan opens the Bible at 
the place marked and reads Rev. 3 ; thereupon he 
prays : 'Heavenly Father in Jesus Christ, the Giver of 
every good and perfect gift, I thank Thee for Thy 
gracious protection over me and mine during this 
day and for my safe return. I thank Thee for house 
and home, all undeserved gifts. 'The foxes have 
holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the 
Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.' I thank 
Thee that through His poverty and sacrifice, His cruel 
suffering and innocent death I and mine, yea the 
whole world, may become rich indeed. Forgive us 
all our sins. 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and 
renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away 
from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit 
from me/ I need Thee every hour, most gracious 
Lord. Protect me and mine from all danger during 
the night and the rest of our days. Protect the presi- 
dent of the United States, the governor of this State, 
the pastor of our Congregation, and all others in 
authority in Church and State, at home and abroad, 
on land and water. May they all be filled with Thy 
*wisdom and fear and serve Thee well to the glory 
of Thy name. We commend us to Thy care and ask 
Thee finally to save our souls for Jesus' sake. Amen." 



102 



The Academy for Princes 



Telia : "Now I lay me down to sleep — ." 

Knute: "And please stop the war." 

Joey: "Bless father and mother, Louisetta, Knute, 




FAMILY DEVOTIONS. 



Telia, Mary and me, both grandmas, uncles, aunties, 
cousins, relatives, teachers, friends and foes, far and 
near." 



At Home 103 

Louisetta: "Let Thy holy angel be with us that 
the wicked foe may have no power over us." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and 
forget not all His benefits." 

Morgan : "We thank Thee for the privilege of 
sonship, that it is Thy will that we shall know Thee 
and Thy Word and shall commune with Thee in 
prayer and praise. We can not pray or praise as we 
ought to do, therefore we humbly close our com- 
munion this evening with the prayer Thy Son, our 
Savior, taught us : Our Father, Who art in Heaven — ' " 

Mrs. Morgan: "Let us sing the song about Jesus' 
coming to the home." 

All sing: 

"When Jesus enters, meek and lowly, 
To fill the home with sweetest peace; 

When hearts have felt His blessing holy, 
And found from sins complete release, 

Then light and calm within shall reign, 
And hearts divided love again. f 

"Behold, He at the door is knocking! 

Hark, how He pleads our souls to win ! 
Who hears His voice — the door unlocking — 

To sup with him He enters in ! 
How blest the day, my soul, how blest! 

When Jesus comes to be thy Guest ! 

"Behold, He at the door is calling, 

O heed, my soul, what He doth say; 

Deny Him not — O thought appalling — 
And turn Him not from thee away. 

My soul gives answer deep within : 
Thou Blessed of the Lord, come in. 

"Come, Thou Who spreadest joy and gladness, 

Forever bide with me and mine. 
And bring to those who sit in sadness 

And gloom of death Thy light divine. 
A voice comes from my soul within : 

Thou Blessed of the Lord, come in I" 



104 The Academy for Princes 

Morgan : "Now, good night, little ones." 

Children: "Good night." (They go). 

Morgan : "I am so glad to get back home. It 
seems that I have never appreciated home enough be- 
fore." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Oh, yes, you have. We are glad to 
have you back." 

Morgan : "I have been thinking so much about 
this notion of being sons of God. If there is anything 
to it, and that I admit, then the plan of having parents 
train up the children is the best scheme ever thought 
out on this earth. In fact, it is so great that it could 
not have been thought out. It is divine. In the first 
place there is no one so interested in the children 
as father and mother. In the second place, there is 
nothing that sets such an indelible stamp upon one 
as the home. Even the parents' dialect is acquired. 
And again, how easy to learn at home, as for example, 
a foreign language if used at home. Now the Drots 
used Norwegian at home without any difficulty and 
we could do so much more than we do. And then 
there is also this, that what is learned at home and 
used there, whether it be language or cooking or 
religion, will be used throughout life almost as second 
nature. What is acquired at higher schools may be 
used, but very often most of it is forgotten or kept 
for the most part in the upper story and displayed 
only on occasion." 

Mrs. Morgan: "What is the point?" 

Morgan : "I have been thinking that I could make 
more of the home life, especially as to religion. I 
want to try to make up for the fact that Louisetta 
does not go to the academy." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Well?" 

Morgan : "When I think it over honestly, I must 



At Home 105 

admit that we. have had many blessings from our 
academy life, too, blessings that money cannot buy. 
Our common interest in Norway and Norwegian, our 
connection with the Lutheran Church, our family de- 
votions, I owe to my home and academy training. I 
would rather possess these interests than gold, yea 
much fine gold. I really would not object to sending 
the children to the academy either, but you know how 
I have had to struggle to make both ends meet. And 
you know that we have always agreed on that the 
children should not be handicapped by any Norwegian 
academy. They should go into the world with a 
high school diploma. But I may send them to our 
college after they finish high school/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "You will pardon me if I say that 
you have at home poisoned their minds against the 
church schools, and I am equally guilty as a silent 
partner. If we are to get them to go to the college 
in the same spirit as the Drot children, w T e shall have 
to begin now at home to create a different attitude 
in them. They are good children, but they look upon 
the church schools with fear just as you have done, 
only much worse/' 

Morgan : "You are right again, as you always are, 
Mother. The home is the place to create sentiment 
for church schools and everything else. I listened 
to two 10 year old boys talk about the war. 'What 
side are you on?' asked the one. T am Pro-Ally. 
And you?' T am Pro-German/ answered the other. 
'Excuse me/ said I to the Pro-Ally defender, 'On 
what side is your father?' 'What do you take him 
for? He is Pro-Ally, of course.' 'And your father is 
Pro-German, I suppose?' 'Yes, sir, and he would 
gladly enlist for Germany.' T says, says V to myself: 
'Home training.' " 



Chapter Twelve. 
IN CHILDHOOD. 

Mrs. Morgan : "Mary has been so fussy all day. 
She has had a fever and it is getting worse. I wonder 
what ails the child. I do hope we can be spared an- 
other siege of sickness. It seems to me we have had 
our share and more too — measles, scarlet fever, 
rheumatism, whooping cough, chicken pox, bronchitis, 
diphtheria, and what not. I am so worried. Wonder 
if I ought not to call the doctor." 

Louisetta : "I don't believe baby is sick at all." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Do you think she would carry on 
and look that way if she were not sick, perhaps on 
the brink of a raging fever?" 

Louisetta: "We can imagine a lot of things which 
are not so, Mother." 

Mrs. Morgan: "What do you mean, Girl?" 

Louisetta: "I mean that there is really no such 
thing as sickness, fever and pain. It is all the 
product of imagination, the influence of mortal mind." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Louisetta Morgan, you astonish 
me by such language. Where have you been? And 
what have you been reading?" 

Louisetta: "I don't know." 

Morgan (coming in) : "How is the baby? Bet- 
ter?" 

Mrs. Morgan: "No, I hate to call the doctor, be- 
cause of the expense, but Mary is seriously ill and 
we must do something, no matter what expense." 

Morgan: "I will call him up at once." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Wait a minute. Something is the 
matter with Louisetta. She says that sickness and 



In Childhood 107 

pain are only products of the imagination, due to 
mortal mind. Do you seem to recognize that kind 
of language?" 

Morgan: "What did you say, Louisetta?" 

Louisetta: "If you are going to make a fuss over 
it I don't care to repeat it." 

Morgan : "I am sure Mama did not mean to be 
fussy. Please let me hear what the trouble is." 

Louisetta: "I simply suggested that Mary was 
not sick. There are many good people w T ho do not 
believe there is sickness or pain, and they are never 
sick and never do they feel pain." 

Morgan : "I know whom you refer to. You mean 
the Christian Scientists?" 

Louisetta: "Yes. Why are you against them? 
They do not harm you, but seek only to do good." 

Morgan : "I am against their teachings, because 
they are neither Christian nor science. To be Chris- 
tian a teaching must give Christ His place as the 
Son of God, our crucified and risen Savior; to be 
scientific, a teaching must be in accordance with all 
the facts in the case and be capable of proof by demon- 
stration. The Christian Scientists reject Christ as 
the Son of God and the crucified and risen Savior of 
men, therefore they are not Christians. They reject 
the common facts of all times and places such as sick- 
ness and pain, therefore they are not scientists. They 
do seek to harm me. They try to rob me and all of 
saving faith, of heavenly bliss." 

Louisetta: "You are prejudiced against them." 

Morgan : "When our friend Sorenson moved to 
town a few years ago, you remember he did not con- 
tinue his connection w T ith the Lutheran Church of 
which he had been a member here. The first year 
he w^as there he attended the Methodist Church, the 



108 The Academy for Princes 

next year the Presbyterian, and the third year he 
landed among the Christian Scientists. When he had 
gotten this new religion, he began to talk as you do; 
there was no sickness or pain and the like. Just think 
of the consistency of the man ! He said there was 
no such thing as disease, and then he went about lec- 
turing on how to cure hog cholera. He despised the 
doctors, and yet, when his boy broke his arm, he sum- 
moned the hated physician at once. I know some- 
thing about the subject, too, for Pastor Halm asked 
me as one of the church council to look into Soren- 
son's case. I read through Mrs. Eddy's "Key" and 
Kildahl's "Exposition of Christian Science," and I do 
not want anything to do with the poison// 

Louisetta: "But I have never seen a more Chris- 
tian set of people, always happy and sincere." 

Morgan: "Do you not believe that there is pain?" 

Louisetta : "No." 

Morgan (pinching her real hard) : "What is the 
trouble? Why those tears? It doesn't hurt. There 
is no pain, oh, no." 

Louisetta (crying) : "Let go. It hurts. Please 
let go." 

Morgan: "You are coming to your senses again. 
It did hurt, eh? There is pain, then, after all. There 
is sickness and misery now as when the Savior came 
to the earth? Baby is really sick then? And when 
she had scarlet fever and summer complaint two years 
ago and was twice given up by the doctors she was 
really ill? The six months' old child was not just 
exercising her evil imagination? Now, Louisetta, 
take the advice of your best friend and don't play 
with fire. But tell me where you got acquainted with 
this false teaching." 

Louisetta: "I don't know." 



In Childhood 109 

Morgan: "Is that so? You have got the poison 
in town, not at home, for I don't leave such things 
standing around. You are going to tell us about it 
or you will not go back to school next Monday. " 

Louisetta: "What is the use to make such a fuss 
about an innocent little remark?" 

Morgan: "Your remark was not innocent. It may 
not mean much to you, but it is the w r atchword of one 
of the most cunning hosts of the Devil. It is a flag 
of the enemy that is at open war against us. We shall 
never tolerate that flag in this home. But tell where 
you got hold of it." 

Louisetta : "Professor Smith of the high school is 
a Christian Scientist, and his mother is a Scientist 
reader and healer. The ladies of the town meet with 
her on Wednesday evenings and are perfectly wild 
about her. Prof. Smith invited some of us girls to 
go, too, and I have been there a few times. I have 
also been reading their papers which are free. At 
least, they are to be found in the depot, the post office 
and the school, and there is a sign above the paper 
rack, 'Take one/ That is as far as I have gone. They 
seem so earnest and dead sure they are right, that I 
have thought there was something in it, if one could 
only get far enough into their secret." 

Morgan : "As to earnestness, that is a good quality, 
but it is not proof that one is right. Both the Union 
men and the Confederates in our Civil War were 
earnest, but not both were right. The heathen w T ho 
sacrifice their little ones to idols are earnest enough, 
but wrong nevertheless. Mr. Elfenben, who w T as sent 
to the asylum last summer, w^as very earnest on one 
point : that he ought to brain his w T ife with an axe ; 
but we adjudged him hopelessly crazy. I think So- 
renson, Smith, and the rest of your Scientists are 



110 The Academy for Princes 

possessed of a legion of devils. Well, I am going to 

phone to Dr. Hogan." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Ask him to come at once, if he 

can." 

Morgan (at phone) : "Hello, Dr. Hogan. This is 

Morgan. Our Mary is sick again. A fever — fussy all 

day — can you come down soon? — You have Prof. 

Boby along with you? Sure, take him along out here. 

If you are not too busy, you can get a bite to eat here 

before you go back to town. Goodbye." 
Mrs. Morgan: "He is coming at once?" 
Morgan: "At once. How is the baby now?" 
Mrs. Morgan : "She is sleeping, but uneasily. I 

don't see why we should have so much sickness." 
Morgan : " 'Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, 

and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth/ ' 

Mrs. Morgan : "But these chastenings are so fre- 
quent and so grievous." 

Morgan : "Now no chastening for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless after- 
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness 
unto them which are exercised thereby/ You have 
yourself said that the periods of sickness and trial 
in your life have been the most blessed, as, for ex- 
ample, two years ago when all of the children were 
sick and you and I were alone with them for a whole 
month under quarantine, 'We know that all things 
work together for good unto them that love God/ 
It will turn out right this time too, never fear." (Goes 
out). 

* 

Morgan (entering with Dr. Hogan and Professor 
Boby) : "Here, Mother, is the doctor and the profes- 
sor. They made good time on their iron horse." 



/// Childhood 111 

Dr. Hogan: "Gas horse. And where is the little 
one?" (Goes in to examine the baby). 

Prof. Boby: "I was in town and was calling on 
my old friend when you called up. I w T as very glad 
to get this country trip and to see my old friend Mor- 
gan." 

Morgan: "You are welcome, indeed. (Dr. Hogan 
returns with Mrs. Morgan). "How now, Doctor?" 

Dr. Hogan : "Only tonsilitis, sir. We shall soon 
pull her through." 

Mrs. Morgan : "I am so relieved. It is about sup- 
per time. Stay and have a bite before leaving. I 
have everything ready for you." 

Both: "Thank you." (Taking seats at table). 

Dr. Hogan : "When Prof. Boby comes around, you 
can imagine what we talk about : it is education, Chris- 
tian education chiefly. You know T he has w r orked as 
the head of one of our academies for many years and 
has such a deep insight into the school problem. You 
know how difficult the academy problem alone is, 
and that is only a small part of the whole question. 
Our worthy pastor has been such a friend and good 
counsellor to me on school questions, but now that 
he is gone, I am also glad to meet men with vision and 
experience like Prof. Boby to consult with." 

Morgan: "Is Pastor Halm gone?" 

Dr. Hogan : "Not exactly. But he resigned last 
Sunday and will soon leave. He told me he was 
broken-hearted and worn out. He has secured a place 
as bookkeeper in the cities." 

Morgan: "I just came home last night from a visit 
to my childhood home, and I have not had time to 
ask about happenings around these parts." 

Dr. Hogan: "I have along a kodak picture for you, 
if you w T ant it." 



112 



The Academy for Princes 



Mrs. Morgan: "How sweet, Bergljot and Amberg 
teaching Bishop to walk. 'Train up a child the way 
he should go, and when he is old he will not depart 
from it' " 








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"TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO. 



Dr. Hogan : "That is the very subject we have been 
discussing. Being a professional man I have little 
time»to train up the children at home. I try to keep 
in touch with their lessons in the Catechism and Bible 
history and occasionally read for them or have them 
read for me, but that is about all. Often I am, called 



In Childhood 113 

out as I am about to help them. The work falls then 
on their mother, who is already overworked with 
household duties. Once in a while I help them with 
their public school studies, and I find they like that. 
I often wonder w T hy the secular subjects are so much 
more appealing to them than the religious. What do 
you say, Prof. Boby?" 

Prof. Boby : "There are many reasons for that. 
One is that everybody has to take those subjects, and 
to study them is as natural as eating. Only a small 
per cent of the children have to study Catechism and 
Bible history, and to study these is regarded as an 
uncalled for hardship/' 

Mrs. Morgan: "I always thought it was a hard- 
ship, and I don't see w r hy we can't get around it." 

Dr. Hogan : "A knowledge of the Catechism and 
of Bible history is of the highest value in life. I 
would rather that my children had this knowledge of 
Christianity than that of any and all secular subjects. 
As princes of God they are entitled to it and must 
have it. They can get it only through study. They 
cannot get it in the public schools. They must there- 
fore get it outside of them. It w T ill be an extra study 
not enjoyed by the unchurchly, and I rejoice that it 
is possible and profitable to learn the Catechism and 
Bible history in this way. What troubles me is, that 
I have so little time for it, and the children have such 
little interest in it." 

Prof. Boby: "Another reason why it is less inter- 
esting than the common school subjects is that so 
much has to be memorized." 

Dr. Hogan : "It is harder to memorize w 7 ord for 
word than to tell a lesson in your own words. I 
found it very hard to learn by heart and have even 
opposed the method. But I am getting to be quite 



114 The Academy for Princes 

enthusiastic for it now. In order to get my son Am- 
berg interested in his Catechism I had him ask me 
questions. I had to study the lessons in order not 
to appear before him as a know-nothing. I began to 
take pleasure in it and to improve my verbal memory. 
Before I could scarcely quote a verse from Scripture ; 
now I am often surprised at my wealth of ready quota- 
tions. They often intrude themselves on my attention 
when I am driving out to the sick, and help me to 
say a comforting word. Besides, as I meditate on 
them, I learn to understand better the 'depth of the 
riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God/ ' 

Morgan : "I often envy Danielson at his remark- 
able memory. Mine is rather poor." 

Dr. Hogan : "Talk about poor memories, or, rather, 
neglect of memory training. I read last night about 
a Wilson rally they had at the Presbyterian College 
in the cities. The speaker did not come. While wait- 
ing for him, someone suggested singing national 
songs. The electric lights would not at first turn on. 
Then, again, no one had books. But worst of all no 
one knew the words of 'America/ 'The Star Spangled 
Banner/ 'Marching through Georgia/ or any of the 
other patriotic airs. They started the first verse of 
several, but fizzled out, and, as the speaker had not 
yet appeared, the crowd left for home. They neglect 
the verbal memory in these days." 

Prof. Boby : "There are other reasons, too, for the 
children's dislike of religious subjects. As a boy I 
wondered why the common school class books were 
so beautiful and carefully graded, while the religious 
books were so plainly printed and hardly graded at 
all. I can't understand the reason for this even to 
this day. I am so glad that we are getting hand- 
somely printed and well graded class books in religion 



/;/ Childhood 115 

for children such as the Christenson-Grimsby books. 
Still, on the whole, even now, secular books are made 
to be attractive, while our religious books are made to 
contain sound doctrine with little or no regard for 
outside appearances. " 

Mrs. Morgan : "Why cannot religion be taught in 
the common schools? I am so tired of this double 
system of schools/' 

Prof. Boby : "That is an immense question and not 
easily answered. You know that all peoples are 
religious, but not all have the one true religion, or 
the same religion. There are hundreds of heathen 
beliefs, hundreds of Christian creeds. You know that 
on account of the difference of creed there have been 
many wars and persecutions — Moslems against Chris- 
tians, Catholics against Protestants, Episcopalians 
against Puritans, Puritans against Baptists. The 
colonists who framed our 'Federal Constitution' de- 
cided to provide for religious freedom. The Church 
should not rule the State, and the State should not 
rule the Church. Both should be self-governing and 
self-supporting and independent and free and on 
friendly terms. We may in this country, therefore, 
hold any religious creed or none at all, but we cannot 
in the public schools proclaim any particular religious 
teaching. The 'Constitution' of the United States 
and the 'Constitution' of this State prohibits such 
abuse of freedom. The Bible ought to be read in the 
schools, for there must be religious instruction in 
every course of study. The Bible is regarded as a 
religious book, but generally not as a sectarian book 
and can be read without comment in most of the 
States. It is the most important book in the w^orld 
and every child ought to be familiar with it. But no 
one in our public schools should be compelled to 
listen to the reading of the Bible for devotion against 



116 The Academy for Princes 

his consent. I should like to see a reverent devotional 
period every day in the schools, as when we were 
children. Then I should like to see Bible selections 
again in the school readers as in days of old. I should 
also like to see more attention paid to the story of 
the Chosen People, for their story has been the most 
important and far-reaching among the nations/' 

Dr. Hogan : "But Bible reading for devotion fol- 
lowed by the Lord's Prayer and hymns and a course 
in the history of Israel is not enough for the children 
of the King. They should be taught to 'observe all 
things whatsoever He has commanded them/ I 
heartily approve of Prof. Boby's plan of securing some 
religious instruction in the common schools, but I 
would never be satisfied with such a tiny bit/' 

Prof. Boby : "There is a way in which we can 
work in connection with the public schools. I never 
attack them. I defend them. I disapprove of the at- 
tacks on the public schools by such church leaders as 
Pres. Theodore and Prof. Svein and such smaller 
satellites as Pastor Halm. I know our people and 
am therefore positive that they will not establish con- 
gregational schools as the Germans have done in many 
places. In these schools they teach religion and the 
common school subjects and the mother tongue. Our 
Norwegian people will never do that except in oc- 
casional localities. They worship the public schools, 
idolize them. Therefore we ought to make >use 
of the common schools and try to secure opportunity 
to teach religion, not in the common schools, but in 
connection with them, say one-half day a week, or 
one month each year. We will gladly furnish our 
own teachers and the money to carry on this extra 
work. It is a fair and simple solution of an immense 
difficulty. It will in no way conflict with constitu- 
tional freedom and will provide to a large extent the 



/;/ Childhood 117 

necessary religious instruction. Other Denomina- 
tions can do as we do." 

Dr. Hogan : "You know we have a month of 
parochial school now. Well, the country people in 
our Congregation do not have more than 8 months of 
common school and we in town have 9. They demand 
therefore that we shall have the parochial school im- 
mediately after the close of their common school, one 
month before our city pupils are released. What is 
the result? The city children will either not have 
any parochial school or miss one month of common 
school for which they will get no credit at all. Pas- 
tor Halm always took his children out of the common 
school, and his children got no credit for the last 
month of school work. I took my children out of 
the public school this year, too, and they were treated 
as conditioned in last year's subjects. The religious 
studies during the month of May were equally stren- 
uous and a thousand times more valuable than the 
arithmetic and language that they tinkered with in 
the public school, but they can get no credit for it. 
Does your plan, Professor, include the giving of credit 
for standard work in religion taken outside of the 
public schools?" 

Prof. Boby: "It does. There should be a scale of 
credit for religion up to one tenth of the total credit 
of the school course for each year." 

Mrs. Morgan: "When can we get this through?" 

Prof. Boby: "As soon as we get a school system 
in our Synod, with a properly qualified school superin- 
tendent or secretary, who can educate our clergy and 
churchmen up to the point that they see that the 
sons of God must be educated in the Word of God at 
school from childhood up." 

Morgan : "I was reading in the church paper about 



118 The Academy for Princes 

Pastor Dahl of Wisconsin. He got his Congregation 
to decide to have parochial school every Wednesday. 
The state superintendent of public schools ordered 
him to desist or he would be subject to arrest and fine. 
His Congregation replied that they had freedom to 
have religious school if they wanted to, and they 
wanted to, therefore the State had better try to arrest 
them all. The superintendent decided to interpret 
the law differently. " 

Prof. Boby: "In this State we can have religious 
instruction a half day a week, a whole day or six days, 
if we want to, but the people are not awake to their 
privileges and their duties. There must be agitation, 
and there must be a head agitator, possessed of great 
faith, zeal and endurance/' 

Dr. Hogan : "I have often discussed with our dear 
pastor the difficulty in getting parents and children 
interested in the church academy. I believe that the 
children ought to be trained to look towards the 
academy from their very first steps. 'Train up a 
child the way he should go — / That is the reason 
why the German Lutherans and the Catholics find 
no difficulty in getting students for their academies. 
If we had congregational schools wherever enthusiasm 
for such could be aroused, and if we had religious 
schools in connection with the public schools at 
other places, then a large percentage of the children 
would naturally begin to think about continuing their 
studies at the church academy. " 

Dr. Hogan: "This was a good meal, Mrs. Morgan, 
and the conversation was interesting to me, at least." 

Prof. Boby (saying grace) : 

"I thank Thee, God, Creator blest, 
For daily bread, contentment, rest. 
I thank Thee for Thy bitter strife, 



In Childhood 119 

O Christ, Thou very Bread of Life. 
Thee, Holy Ghost, I thank for light 
To find the way to Christ aright. 

"Feed those today who are unfed 
And look to Providence for bread. 
God knows alone, if poverty 
Or affluence my lot shall be. 
In health preserve my mind and frame, 
And save my soul in Jesus' name!" 

Dr. Hogan : "We shall have to leave now. The 
little lady sleeps more comfortable now. She will get 
well, never fear, — God willing. Follow directions. 
Goodbye. " 

Morgan and Mrs. Morgan : "Goodbye and come 
again." 



Chapter Thirteen. 
IN YOUTH. 

Danielson : "Good evening, neighbor Morgan. 
What is up now?" 

Morgan : "You remember when I was here last 
we talked about religious education, and we came to 
an agreement on the need of providing our own and 
everybody else's children with a greater store of 
religious knowledge than we can give them at home 
and in Sunday school. Why, in these days we are 
giving them so much secular education that the Chris- 
tian education in comparison with the secular is in 
amount as a drop to a bucket of water. I said to my 
wife, Tf I were a king and you were a queen, what 
kind of an education should our children have?' She 
answered promptly, 'A kingly education/ Now you, 
Mr. Danielson, made the point that every baptized 
child was the son or the daughter of the King of 
kings, who should be about his Father's business here 
on earth as well as in Heaven. I thought the point 
was very striking, and it convinced me, I think for 
good, that every baptized child should have a kingly 
training." 

Danielson : "I am so glad to hear you talk that 
way, Neighbor. Now why not send Louisetta to the 
academy this year. Julia likes it first rate." 

Morgan : "Really, now, Mr. Danielson, you are 
going too fast. We are not ready to do that. My 
plan has been to let my girl finish the high school 
with her class mates, and if she so desires, after finish- 
ing this school, to let her then attend our church 
college. She will be older then and will appreciate 
the religious training given there better than she 



In Youth 121 

would now. In fact I do not think it wise to send 
children away from home to an academy w 7 hen they 
have a school so near by, and w T hen they are so inter- 
ested in their work." 

Danielson : "I can well understand that your child 
loves her class mates. I know a girl who became 
sick and dropped out of her class for a while. There- 
fore, she could not graduate with her class, and in 
consequence she would not return to school to gradu- 
ate with the next class ; but I do not think that the 
likes or the dislikes of children should decide so im- 
portant a question as to where one should go to school. 
You are convinced that you cannot give your child 
as much and as good a religious training at home as 
you ought to because their training at school is so 
much more extensive and prevailingly of a secular 
character. You believe that they ought to have more 
religious knowledge, and that all their other knowl- 
edge should be given in the light of Christianity. The 
question is simply then — when and where they ought 
to get it. You say they will take more to it later. 
I say they w r ill take more to it now; and I have in 
mind two English proverbs which illustrate this truth 
very well, and I have also here before me two pictures 
which illustrate the proverbs. One of these proverbs 
reads thus : 'As the twig is bent, so the tree is in- 
clined' ; and the other reads : 'You may bend the 
sapling, but not the tree/ " 

Morgan : "I can see how that is true in nature, 
for I have tried it out myself, and I can also under- 
stand the drift of your argument; but really I do not 
think that you have been very happy in your illustra- 
tion this time. People are convinced that this cry of 
church academy w 7 as overdone, that the appeal to 
Congregations to give to church -schools was more or 
less of an outrage. Don't you know T that the high 



122 



The Academy for Princes 



schools are the most excellent schools of their class ; 
they have finer buildings, better equipment, better 
paid teachers, more diversified courses, and are, as a 
rule, free and attended by nearly everybody of every 
race and station in life. The church academies are 
much smaller, poorer equipped, as a rule, and much 
smaller in attendance, and for the life of me the aver- 
age man can not see that there is any difference be- 




TOU MAY BEND THE SAPLING, BUT NOT THE TREE.' 



tween the academy graduates and the high school 
graduates/' 

Danielson : "I do not wish to take up all the points 
in your answer now. I do not want to imply in any 
way that high schools do not give a valuable educa- 
tion, for that would not be true. I wish simply to 
hold you to the illustrations and the proverbs that we 
have before us. Now you look at that little girl in 
that picture. She is able to bend a sapling, and if she 



In Youth 



123 



could keep that sapling in a certain position long 
enough it would retain that position through its life, 
for, 'As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined/ Here 
on the other picture we see a tree that has assumed 
a bent position, and we can be sure that there was 
some force that bent it and kept it bent while a twig 
or sapling, otherwise it would not stay bent when 
grown up. It is exactly so in life, 'As the twig is 




"AS THE TWIG IS BENT, SO THE TREE IS INCLINED." 

bent r so the tree is inclined.' Where do we get our 
soldiers from ? We do not get them from the medical 
schools, nor from the theological seminaries. Where 
do we get our physicians from? Not from the mili- 
tary academies, not from the law schools. Where do 
we get our preachers from? Most extensive investiga- 
tions made by different scholars, at different times 
and places, from different angles, all agree as to this, 
that the preachers come from the church schools 



124 The Academy for Princes 

which lead up to the theological seminaries. In 
Catholic schools, Catholics are trained ; in Methodist 
schools, Methodists are trained ; in Lutheran schools, 
Lutherans are trained ; in Unitarian schools, Unitari- 
ans are trained. A person trained in England will 
have high ideas of the English people and ways. One 
trained in France will be stirred with patriotism at 
things French. One trained in the United States will 
be loyal to the United States through thick and thin. 
This proverb holds good in actual life as well as in 
nature. 'As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined/ 
Now the high school can not on account of its prin- 
ciples give any positive religious instruction. It does 
not have to be anti-religious or unreligious, but at its 
best the religious content is of an indefinite character 
because there is no course of study in religion, and the 
religious standing of the teachers is not taken into 
account as a rule in their election. In a church school 
there is a definite religious course of study and a 
definite point of view, a definite religious atmosphere, 
with teachers chosen, as a rule, particularly for their 
religious character and influence. On that account 
we find that among the graduates even of some of the 
largest high schools not a single one has chosen as 
his life work the Gospel ministry. While on the con- 
trary a very large percentage of the graduates of the 
church academies choose — what in the eyes of the 
world is a humble calling, but in the eyes of the Lord 
a noble one : 'To seek and to save that which was 
lost/ to be ambassadors in Christ's stead, to be about 
the Father's business, no matter what official capacity 
one may have among men/' 

Morgan : "I do not plan on making my children 
preachers, missionaries and the like/' 

Danielson : "All right. I have not urged you to 
do that ; but you and I have agreed on this, that your 



In Youth US 

children are the sons and daughters of God, and that 
He wants them to do His business, and that He has 
said: 'Teach them to do all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you/ You have admitted that on account 
of circumstances you have found it very hard to teach 
them all these things, and that they are learning so 
many things of less value, and are neglecting the one 
thing needful/' 

Morgan : "Yes, that is true." 

Danielson : "You meditate a little more on these 
proverbs, my friend. Xow notice in the picture there, 
that man trying to bend that tree. He simply cannot 
do it. 'You may bend the sapling, but not the tree.' 
When one has gone through high school he is al- 
ready mature, he is a grown-up tree. It is, therefore, 
not true that your girl after finishing high school will 
take more to religion than now. All the facts in 
nature and in experience are to the contrary. The 
high school years are the very best years for religious 
studies. They are the bending years. In these years 
the young people get confirmed, they waken to new 
religious impressions and many of them get converted 
and dedicate their lives to Christian walk and service. 
On the other hand, very few of those who have neg- 
lected to get confirmed in this period ever get con- 
firmed. Very few waken to the great religious ideals 
of Scripture after maturity. Only a small per cent 
of the recorded conversions have been of men and 
women over twenty years of age. Nearly everyone 
decides what he shall be and do in this life, during the 
high school years or before. The high school age is 
an excellent time at which to bend the sapling/' 

Morgan (repeating to himself) : "You may bend 
the sapling, but not the tree" 

Danielson : "Think it over, my friend, investigate 



126 The Academy for Princes 

it most carefully, and, if it is not true, come and tell 
me, and I will send also my children this year to the 
high school. In fact, I will do more than that. I w T ill 
begin to question the need of the church academies 
since they do not fill any place in our school system, 
since they do not contribute anything which the high 
schools do not already give us in larger quantity, bet- 
ter quality and at less cost, and I will refuse to give 
anything to the treasuries which maintain these un- 
necessary church schools. Are you going, my neigh- 
bor? Well, so long, then." 



Chapter Fourteen. 
AT CONFIRMATION. 

Miss Worra: "Mr. Morgan, Prof. Encore and I 
have come clear from town today just to see you, and 
we are so glad to find you at home/' 

Morgan: "Come in. What can I do for you?'' 

Miss Worra: "You know we have a Luther 
League in our town Congregation and I am so un- 
fortunate as to be its president. Prof. Encore is also 
a member and chairman of the program committee. 
(Mrs. Morgan enters). Why, how 7 do you do, Mrs. 
Morgan." 

Morgan : "You know Miss Worra, principal of the 
high school? Yes, and this is Prof. Encore, also a 
high school teacher and a member of our town Con- 
gregation. Prof. Encore, this is my wife." 

Prof. Encore : "I am pleased to meet you/' 

Miss Worra: "No, we did not come to stay. We 
came on extremely urgent business. It is so hard 
to run a young people's society in a small Congrega- 
tion. If it had not been for the enthusiasm and re- 
sourcefulness of Pastor Halm, ours would have had 
to disband long ago. Of course, we have the 'Topic 
Helps' in our church papers, and I have enjoyed them 
immensely and used them regularly. You read them, 
too? Isn't that Olel^ken a splendid soul? He has 
been filling his page for many years. And don't you 
think the new editor Sesquare writes some very in- 
structive articles ?" 

Morgan : "The young people don't seem to like 
these articles. In fact, they are against the 'Topic' 
system, the 'Topic' articles, the church papers and 
everything. We ought to try something else." 



128 The Academy for Princes 

Miss Worra: "I know. I have been trying to 
teach Bible classes and assist in Luther League work 
for many years. We must have some course of study 
for Congregational young people between 14 and 25. 
We have tried Bible reading, but very few take to it 
without system. We have tried the 'International 
Lessons/ the 'General Council Graded System/ the 
study of individual books and the 'Luther League 
Topics/ The Reformed Churches are universally 
using the 'Topics' plan and find that it has many ad- 
vantages. As to the editing of the 'Topics/ I have 
been well satisfied with our men. We have had some 
of the very best writers in the Church, men who have 
worked long and enthusiastically for the education 
of youth. The church papers are every week full to 
the brim of delicious and savory food, suited to every 
taste. I know, for I read them faithfully. Nothing 
hurts me quite so much as to hear our good, noble 
church papers spitefully attacked or thrown aside 
without a hearing. My heart goes out to editors Gen 
and Ysnes and the rest of that faithful band." 

Prof. Encore: "I never subscribed for a church 
paper until Miss Worra got after me. She said that 
Mr. Jayjayaitch had started a campaign, which now 
was carried on all over the land, to get a Lutheran 
paper into every Lutheran home by 1917, the 400th 
anniversary of the Reformation. We had kept church 
papers in my boyhood home, but I never read them 
and no one else did either. Father simply did not 
want to displease the minister, and mother was too 
busy and worn out to read anything but the daily. I 
never read the church papers as a student, for I had 
little time beyond glancing over the daily and my 
professional paper. When I subscribed now at this 
late day, I did so to please Miss Worra. I was a 
little displeased when I saw the paper in my box 



At Confirmation 129 

the first time. It was small and modest, but not in- 
viting like a story magazine. I threw it aside and 
did not read it. I did not think much more about it 
until I was put on the Young People's program for 
a topic. Then I went to Miss Worra for help. She 
said that I would get excellent help in the 'Topic 
Helps/ 'Where were they?' I asked. 'In your church 
paper/ she replied. 'Don't you read it?' I had to 
confess I did not think it was worth reading. Why 
did the Church not elect somebody as editors who 
could write interestingly, so that the paper would be- 
come popular like 'Everybody's/ 'Cosmopolitan,' or 
the 'Black Cat?' Why did the Church not distribute 
their papers free like the Russelites and the Christian 
Scientists? 'You make me tired,' she said, 'passing 
judgment on what you know nothing about. Go home 
and read your paper.' I did so, and I found a splendid 
discussion of my theme. I have since been reading it 
and saving every number. I am going to have my 
numbers bound every year. The trouble is, not with 
the editors, for they write well, . but with the sub- 
scribers, for they do not read them at all." 

Mrs. Morgan : "That must be the reason why we 
do not like it, for we seldom look at it." 

Morgan: "Well, Pastors Halm, Sodahl, Void and 
others who ought to know, have said that it w r as of 
inferior value and that people would not read it." 

Miss Worra : "I have only kind words to say about 
Pastor Halm. We agreed on everything almost ex- 
cepting the church paper. He was not a faithful 
reader of that, strange to say. But, to change the 
subject, we came here to get you on the program to 
be held three weeks from last Sunday. The topic is 
'Strike w T hen the iron is hot/ as applied to education. 
Will you be the topic leader for that occasion — three 
weeks from last Sunday?". 



130 The Academy for Princes 

Morgan : "Whew, I am the last man you should 
have asked. Ask Nelson, Carlson, Evenson, Daniel- 
son, one of the eleven Bruns, Tho, Sigvald, Ladokk, 
Miss Jackson, Fred Riig, Miss Arnequel or anybody 
but me." 

Miss Worra : "No, you are the man, and you can't 
say no. Now, can he, Mrs. Morgan?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "He is his own master and old 
enough to answer for himself." 

Prof. Encore: "I heard you speak at the Farmer's 
Club the other evening, and I said to myself: 'That 
man has been to school somewhere, or my name is 
Dennis. I am going to get him on our program, if 
he is a Lutheran. I asked Miss Worra and she told 
me you were an academy graduate, which made me 
feel that I had a keen judgment. She said also that 
you would do well on our program, and you must not 
refuse." 

Morgan : "I am no speaker, but I can try, if Mrs. 
Morgan does not object." 

Mrs. Morgan : "If you will promise to be good for 
a year, I will let you go this time." 

Morgan : "All right, Madam. I will take the sub- 
ject and will begin reading the church paper. You 
are sure it has helpful articles." 

Miss Worra: "Yes. I am so very much obliged 
to you for your kindness." 

Prof. Encore: "And so am I. Good day. I am 
glad to have met you." (They go). 

Morgan : "I am foolish for giving in so readily, 
am I not? My real reason for doing so is, that I 
should like to see that town Congregation succeed. 
That is a Norwegian town. Only two English fam- 
ilies in the whole town, the rest are Norwegians, 



At Confirmation 131 

Swedes and Danes, with a couple of Frenchmen, an 
Irishman, a Dutchman, three Germans, an Indian 
and a Spaniard. The English with their aggressive- 
ness and proselyting spirit have established two Re- 
formed Congregations in this otherwise Lutheran 
community. Most of the teachers in the public school 
have been Norwegians, but the Norwegian teachers 
in the school have never attended the Norwegian 
Church with the exception of this Miss Worra and 
a former superintendent, Jacobson. They all go to 
the Presbyterian Church, even though they are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran. They are assessed $10 a head 
by the little, struggling Presbyterian Congregation, 
whereas they could attend free of charge in their own. 
It has been taken for granted for 10 years past that 
no teacher should attend any service in the Nor- 
wegian Church, whether in Norwegian or in English. 
Now Miss Worra came and at once broke the rule. 
The president of the school board, who did not be- 
long to any Church, w T as shocked. In fact, the whole 
town awoke. Norwegian children who had hung their 
heads in shame when they passed their own church 
as they stole away to the Presbyterian Sunday school, 
began to come back and rejoiced that they had a good 
Church after all. The school board president spoke 
soft words, hard words, threatening words, sarcastic 
words, to induce Miss Worra to go to the Presby- 
terian. The Presbyterians put her on their programs 
without her knowledge or consent, but she would not 
perform. She w r as a Lutheran from conviction, and 
did not believe in forsaking her own Congregation, as 
the manner of some is." 

Mrs. Morgan : "But is it not strange that Prof. 
Encore should attend a Lutheran Congregation? He 
is not a Norwegian, is he?" 

Morgan : "Encore is a Frenchman. It is not 



132 The Academy for Princes 

strange that he should attend a Lutheran Congrega- 
tion, for he is a Lutheran. He chose the Norwegian 
Congregation in preference to the Swedish, because 
Pastor Halm, who was then on the school board, 
asked him to attend. They have English services in 
the Norwegian church, too/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "It is rather odd to think of English- 
men and Frenchmen as .Lutherans. " 

Morgan: "Have you not seen Lenker's great book, 
'Lutherans in All Lands?' Some people think the 
Lutherans are a tiny Sect, but they are a large 
Church, as many in number as the Methodists, 
Episcopalians, Presbyterians and the hundred other 
Reformed Sects of the world put together. They be- 
gan the Reformation and have the Gospel in its truth 
and purity to this day. As to Encore I think his 
example is more inspiring than that of Supt. Gunder- 
son of the same school. Gunderson is a Norwegian 
Lutheran, but does not dare to attend any Church, 
so as not to displease three or four Yankees. Encore 
is a Frenchman, but sits through Norwegian services 
in order to worship according to his own faith." 

(Goes out.) 

* 

Morgan (returning) : "I will have to get after that 
topic, 'Strike when the iron is hot/ That is what the 
blacksmith does. A pretty good theme. And I should 
apply it to education? Do you remember, Mother, 
what Miss Melbo, our composition teacher at the aca- 
demy, gave as the natural steps in preparing a com- 
position?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "Yes. She said we should first 
think about the theme and try to make an outline; 
next we should read up on the subject and recast our 
outline ; finally, we should write, following the out- 
line." 



At Confirmation 



133 



Morgan : "That corresponds to Prof. Marchus' 
rules. I have been doing some thinking today. I 
believe I shall speak about Confirmation as the period 
in which the iron is hot. What do you think of that?" 

Mrs. Morgan: "I can think of nothing more true. 
I have never been so near God as at that age." 

Morgan: "You want me to dwell particularly on 
the religious phase of the Confirmation period?" 

Mrs. Morgan: "You can not very well cover more 
in a short talk." 




"STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT." 

Morgan: "Well, then. At Confirmation the iron 
is hottest, the heart is most tender and susceptible. 
The reasons for this are two: i. The age of 14 to 16 
is a turning point in the physical make-up of a person. 
It is the center of the adolescent stage. The child 
becomes a youth. His soul, like his body, is in the 
moulding. 2. Preceding Confirmation there has been 
a course of instruction in the essentials of Christianity 
— the Catechism, Explanation, Bible history, hymns 
and Bible reading. The pastor has spoken time and 
again earnestly and face to face w T ith each individual. 






134 The Academy for Princes 

The parents have assisted and have come nearer their 
children's hearts than ever before. Yes, there is a 
third reason : The youth has to make a good confes- 
sion before many witnesses and to make a choice for 
life as to whom he will serve, God or Mammon. Re- 
newing one's baptismal Covenant makes the heart 
both tender and strong." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Mrs. Thurenson does not believe 
in Baptism or Confirmation. She says that children 
don't understand anything at Baptism and can not be- 
lieve, and youths can not keep their Confirmation vow, 
be they ever so sincere." 

Morgan : "The Lord does not require that children 
shall understand, but that they shall believe. Neither 
do we have to understand, only believe. At Baptism 
a child is born again, not by man's will, but by God's 
will. He has as little to do with his new birth as he 
had to do with his physical birth. At Confirmation 
he renews his Covenant, that is the Covenant made 
for him between God and his sponsors. Suppose a 
man had a chance to secure a great heritage for his 
new born child. Should he wait till the child was 21 
before he tried to secure it? No, he would at once 
secure it for him until he was of age and could an- 
swer for himself. Thus, he tries to secure for his 
child through Baptism the heritage of the children of 
God. At Confirmation, the child attains to maturity 
and answers for himself that he will renounce the 
Devil and all his works and all his ways and believe 
on the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Why is this act called Confirma- 
tion?" 

Morgan : "And you studied Latin under Prof. Lea? 
Have you already forgotten? Confirmation is a Latin 
word which means strengthening. We are strength- 



At Confirmation 135 

ened by renewing the promise, by making it publicly, 
and by getting God's blessings in word and act." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Is there really much of a strength- 
ening through these things?" 

Morgan : "You surprise me, Anna. Why do you 
ask the children so often to promise to be good? Is 
not once enough? The repetition strengthens. Why- 
have a public formal marriage? Why not have only 
a secret understanding as at most engagements? Is 
it not true that some get engaged about every month, 
but have nothing but a secret understanding to hold 
them to their promise? A formal marriage is more 
binding, it seems, and holds most people for life. And 
is it not strengthening to get the blessing of father and 
mother? Why not, then, of God Himself? Con- 
firmation is a strengthening act and is a point at 
wdiich the iron is hot." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Mrs. Thurenson says many 
Churches do not have it and that it is not commanded 
in the Bible." 

Morgan : "Many Churches do not have Baptism 
either, and that is commanded in the Bible. 'Except 
a man be born of water and of the Spirit he can not 
enter the Kingdom of God/ " 

Mrs. Morgan: "But Confirmation is not com- 
manded. She says w r e ought to do only what is com- 
manded." 

Morgan: "Is the Sunday school commanded? Is 
marriage by civic license commanded? Are hoop 
skirts and hobble skirts and short skirts and other 
styles of dress commanded? Mrs. Thurenson ought 
to carry out her rule to a logical conclusion. Luther 
brought us back to the Bible as the only rule of faith 
and works. We shall do what is there commanded 
of Christians ; we shall not do what is there forbidden 



136 The Academy for Princes 

Christians to do. Where the Bible is silent, we can 
do as we please, providing it does not harm ourselves 
or a weaker brother or we are not in doubt as to its 
sinfulness. Confirmation is not forbidden, and has 
been, is and will always be a blessed institution. " 

Mrs. Morgan: "I have thought so, too, but Mrs. 
Thurenson is so sincere and earnest/' 

Morgan : "As every fanatic and lunatic also is. 
Let us follow the Bible and common sense, as Luther 
did at the Diet of Worms." 

Mrs. Morgan : "What other points are you going 
to speak on?" 

Morgan : "I ought to say something about the his- 
tory of Confirmation and its effects on the literacy 
of the Lutheran lands. I ought to speak on the prep- 
aration for Confirmation in this country being sorely 
neglected in many places. You know how Pastor 
Halm has tried to extend the time of reading to two 
years, one in English and one in Norwegian, and the 
fierce opposition he met from the Congregation. He 
came out 14 miles four days a week and had a sort 
of religious school. The children were at first de- 
lighted, but the parents set up a fearful howl. The 
pastor pleaded with the parents and kept up an agita- 
tion for three years to convince them. The parents 
would not give in. Some sent their children to other 
Lutheran pastors who confirmed the children in one 
half year; others sent them to an Episcopalian pastor, 
who read with them four periods of an hour each, 
and then called in the bishop to confirm them. I do 
not blame Pastor Halm for giving up the struggle." 

Mrs. Morgan : "But you cannot touch on ^all of 
these points in your talk." 

Morgan : "I don't know yet. This is only the re- 
sult of a little meditation today. After I have read 



At Confirmation 137 

the church articles and thought some more I shall 
know better what to say and what to omit. No, I 
am going to submit my outline to you, for your judg- 
ment is worth hearing, too." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Thanks for the compliment. Why 
not ask Danielson for a point, too?" 

Morgan : "That's what I will do. I will ask him 
now, and then I will read up in the church papers." 
(At phone) "Hello, Danielson. Say, I am going to 
speak at the young people's society on the text : 
'Strike when the iron is hot/ as applied to education. 
I have limited myself, to Confirmation. I should like 
a suggestive thought also from you. Can you lend 
me one?" 

Danielson : " 'Strike when the iron is hot/ Apply 
it to education at the Confirmation period? All right. 
Here is a suggestion : Let pastors and parents talk 
church academies to their children at this critical 
stage. And when the child graduates, let the parents 
send it to the school academy and not to the public 
high school." 

Morgan: "And then?" 

Danifxson : "That's all. 'Strike while the iron is 
hot.' " ' 



Chapter Fifteen. 
IN GENERAL. 

Danielson : "How do you do, Morgan. I have 
been to town with another load of wheat and thought 
I would drop in for a few minutes on my way back/' 

Morgan: "How are you? Glad to see you. Shall 
I put your steeds in the barn?'' 

Danielson: "No. I shall stay just a minute. I 
was told that you gave quite a sermon Sunday evening 
at the town church. If I had known you were to 
preach I would have been there." 

Morgan: "It was no sermon, only a speech at the 
Luther League." 

Danielson : "I got the impression at the creamery 
that you had given a sermon. I asked what you had 
said, but no one seemed to know, for they had not 
been there. Some one had met somebody or other 
belonging to the town Congregation, and from him 
the story spread. They all had it that you had 
preached a good sermon in which you had in true 
ministerial style condemned our darling faults and 
stated ideals which no man could reach." 

Morgan : "For heaven's sake ! Did you ever hear 
the like? I never did anything of the kind. I did not 
scold or condemn, but merely stated how we could 
improve in certain respects." 

Danielson: "For earth's sake! What did you 
really say, may I ask? I am interested and like to nip 
a rumor in the bud." 

Morgan: "I talked on the subject of Confirmation, 
using the proverb, 'Strike while the iron is hot' as 
my text. I had found a good illustration in the church 




In General 



139 



paper and had along a piece of iron and asked the 
young people if they could bend it. They smiled at 
my conceit. A little fellow said to his mama : 'What 
does he take us for anyway?' 'No/ I replied, taking 
up his remark, T don't take you for fools. You know 
the iron can not be bent until it is hot. But then it 
can, and into a variety of forms and figures, for an 
infinity of uses. Why, friends, the iron as it is taken 
from the mines looks like earth, of a dull reddish 
color, and is worth per pound only a little more than 
black soil. But a dollar's worth of such earth when 
smelted may be worth five dollars, and five dollars 
worth of iron ore is worth tw r elve dollars when made 
into horse shoes ; when made into needles its value 
is increased to $350; into penknives, it w r ould be worth 
$3,000, and into balance springs for watches, $250,000. 
Just think of it, a few shovels of dirt becoming worth 
a quarter of a million dollars after being smelted and 
heated and hammered and beat and rolled and 
pounded and tempered and polished. Without the 
furnace and the hammer and the striking while the 
iron was hot these results would have been impossible. 
I continued by saying that although all men were 
created equal, yet not all men were equally valuable 
as citizens of a State and members of a Church. Some 
were like unto the iron ore before smelting, others 
were like iron bars or horseshoes or needles or pen- 
knives or w T atchsprings. If they wanted to become 
useful men and women of tempered Christian char- 
acter they had to get into the furnace. Then they can 
be reborn, remade. They can obtain a new heart, a 
new spiritual light in the understanding, true peace 
and joy in the conscience, a holy desire, power and 
longing in the will. They can get the mind that was 
in Christ Jesus. And 'if any man be in Christ, he 
is a new creature : old things have passed away ; be- 



140 



The Academy for Princes 



hold, all things have become new/ Confirmation time 
was a furnace. Then should the pastor and parents, 
old and young, strike, for the iron was hot. Often a 
piece of iron would have to go through several heating 
processes, be poured into several moulds or be pounded 
out several times in order to become a special instru- 
ment for good — spade or wheel or rail or electric wire 
and the like. Young people need more education than 
the common branches, which they have mastered by 
Confirmation time ; they need also a more thorough 
knowledge of the Word of God, the rudiments of 
which they profess to know at Confirmation. There 
is no time later in their life when they will so readily 
be prevailed on to go to a Christian school to con- 
tinue their studies, and if they do not go then they- 
will be apt to get like the iron I held in my hand, 
cold and indifferent and unbendable. I said that it 
was too bad that we as Christian people did not use 
our church academies more, that we as Christian 
parents did not send our children to the academies. 
We did wrong in not doing it; we sinned against our 
trust — to train up our children as princes and prin- 
cesses of the household of God." 

Danielson : "Now I understand why they said 
that you had preached. You placed your finger on one 
of our church sores and talked eloquently about prin- 
ciples which you in your own household do not prac- 
tise. You are sending your Louisetta to the high 
school." 

Morgan : "I know it now, and I knew it then. But 
I wanted to speak the truth at all events, even if it 
hit back at me." 

Danielson : "There was once a preacher who 
urged his young people to dedicate their lives to the 
foreign missions. After the services, while he was 
yet in his study, a timid knock was heard at his door. 






In General 



141 



He opened it, and there stood his daughter. 'What 
do you want, dear?' he asked. 'I want to tell you 
that I am w r illing to go/ she answered. 'Go where?' 
he said, with surprise in his voice. 'Go to China/ 
she answered. 'You innocent child/ he said, 'I did not 
.mean you, I meant the other young people/ So it is 
with pastors and others who declaim about the excel- 
lency of a Christian training. It is a fine thing to have 
— for other people's children, but not for their own. 
I want to be frank with you : you ought to practise 
what you preach. Send Louisetta to the academy/' 

Morgan : "I ought to, yes. But she is not inter- 
ested. I will send her to our college later." . 

Danielson: "Whose fault is it? Like cat, like 
kitten. She was confirmed last Pentecost and ought 
to be as willing as she ever will be. You made her to 
understand that the pastor's advice on this point was 
not worth anything and that she should go to the 
town school like the rest of her friends. And then 
you think that after having spent four years in a 
secular and anti-churchly atmosphere she will be will- 
ing to go to the college? Don't you believe it. Strike 
w T hile the iron is hot." 

Morgan : "But many high school students do go 
to our college, too." 

Danielson : "They do not go there because of the 
high school, but in spite of it. There are other in- 
fluences at work in this life than the school, and 
sometimes they may prevail over their powerful com- 
petitor of the school room. It may be that you can 
overcome Louisetta's natural and acquired dislike of 
the church school, even after four years of cooling of 
the iron." 

Morgan : "I am at loss what to do. I want to do 
what is right. I talked with our parochial teacher, 



142 The Academy for Princes 

Perry Taaranwick, last summer. He was very en- 
thusiastic about the early training of the children. 
The Jesuits used to say that if they could train a child 
up to seven years of age, they would be sure of keep- 
ing its loyalty, even though they had nothing more 
to do with its later education. This made a deep im- 
pression on me when I studied history under the be- 
loved Thorbj^rnnels, my history teacher in the acad- 
emy. Now, Taaranwick held- about the same view, 
that we must do all we can for the children and then 
we would be reasonably safe. He would not think 
of sending a youth away to an academy if he lived by 
the side of a state high school. The academy was 
only for country people who had far to send their 
children. Even they, both clergy and laity, were now 
sending their youth to the nearest high school. He 
prophesied that the high schools must increase, the 
academies must decrease. The country districts would 
get consolidated schools and country youths would 
not even have to go to the local town high school. 
That would be the death knell of the church academy. 
Perhaps a remnant of the academies would remain, 
supported by old fogies and hard heads. I asked 
if there was any moral danger in this. He answered 
that he couldn't see it that way. You know, Daniel- 
son, that we do not all look at things in the same 
light or with good vision. Some are apt to see with 
one eye, and that defective. We call them cranks. 
Danielson, I have often wondered whether your judg- 
ment is better than that of all of the people. It is 
pretty hard to think that all of the people are mis- 
taken about the value of the high school. They kick 
about taxes, but are willing to be taxed to the limit 
for improving their high schools. " 

Danielson : "You may think I am a conceited 
crank, whereas I am neither conceited nor cranky. 



In General 143 

At the time of Moses, all of the people, or nearly so, 
were afraid to enter the Promised Land. The land 
was truly beautiful, and flowing w T ith milk and honey 
and was theirs besides, but it had a few giants, and 
the Chosen People were afraid. Was Moses right or 
they?" 

Morgan : "Moses." 

Danielson : "Because he yielded up his thoughts 
to God's thoughts and believed His Word. And then 
Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem should fall, there- 
fore it was wise to surrender, was he not almost alone 
in his stand? Yet we can see he was in the right, 
although neither conceited nor cranky. Were not the 
Pharisees and the people against Jesus, too? 'He 
came to His own, but His own received Him not.' 
'He w r as full of grace and truth/ He was 'the Way, 
the Truth, and Life/ yet 'despised and rejected of 
men/ Morgan, it has always been that way, that a 
great majority do not see a question in the light of 
God's Word, and, worse still, they will not see." 

Morgan : "I want to see rightly, but there is always 
a 'but/ It is so hard to take a stand and to do." 

Danielson : "You have taken a stand. You made 
a good profession in your speech last Sunday. Now 
act. Act now. 'Strike while the iron is hot/ You 
will find sweet peace after having decided for the right. 
Doubt and fears will beset you again, of course, but 
you have recourse to prayer and the Word. In prayer 
you may speak to Him your every trouble ; in His 
Word you may listen to His answer of comfort and 
guidance out of every difficulty. Have you tried ask- 
ing the Lord to guide you in solving the school ques- 
tion, in the spirit of Jesus : 'Not as I will, but as 
Thou wilt/ " 

Morgan : "Yes, and no. I don't like to say : 'As 



144 



The Academy for Princes 



Thou wilt.' I have a feeling that if I said that, I 
would have to send the girl to the academy, even 
against her consent." 

Danielson : "Most unfortunate man. As bad off as 
the seeker who never finds, as the dog w T ho returns to 
his vomit. Let me tell you what I have been musing 
on coming from town. I w r as bent on speaking to 
you the truth in charity, as a friend and a brother. 
It is now November. It is nearlv winter. It is not 




SPRINGTIME IS SOWING TIME. 



springtime. Springtime is sowing time. The spring- 
time of life is the time to learn, also to learn the Word 
of God. I know that your plan to send your children 
to our church college after they are mature is upright. 
I do not doubt its sincerity. But maturity is late in 
the season of spring. It is almost too late to begin 
to plant with hopes of getting returns, some 30 fold, 
some 60 fold and some 100 fold. Begin early, the 
earlier the better. What is learned young is learned 
for life, be it sin or salvation. 



In General 145 

" 'Ere your boy has reached to seven, 
Teach him well the way to Heaven ; 
Better still the work will thrive, 
If he learns before he's five.' " 

Morgan : "That verse agrees with Perry Taaran- 
wick and the Jesuits. " 

Danielson : "Good enough as far as it goes. But 
do not stop at five and seven. Some seed must be 
sown in March, some in April, some in May, and 
some in June. The childhood stage is March, the 
academy is April, the college is May, and the profes- 
sional is June. You want everything sown either in 
May or June or in early March. Why not in April? 
Why not sow the Good Seed in the high school age? 
It is sad to think of the thousands and millions whose 
broad acres lie fallow, overgrown with seeds and 
thistles ; of the precious souls created that they might 
know the truth and be saved forever, and yet millions 
of them do not even have a Sunday school Tnter- 
national Lesson Leaf glimpse of the Savior. It is 
nearly winter ; no one plants now. Night is coming 
on w r hen no man can work. 'The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and we are not saved/ " 

Morgan : "Do you really believe that I shall get 
better returns from the academy than from the high 
school?" 

Danielson : "I certainly do, with all my heart and 
all my mind. 'Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : 
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. . . . 
And in due season we shall reap, if we faint not/ 
'They that sow in tears shall reap in joy/ Well, I 
have to be going. Adieu." 



Chapter Sixteen. 

BLOODED STOCK. 

Morgan: (entering): "How is Mary, Mother?" 
Mrs. Morgan : "The fever has gone down and she 
is sleeping sweetly. I am so grateful and relieved. 
Dr. Hogan was here this afternoon and said she would 
surely be well in a day or two. How did you get 
along at the congregational business meeting ?" 

Morgan : "We had a fairly good meeting, although 
rather strenuous. The unchurchly crowd meet up to 
a man at these meetings. They are sure to be present 
at a business meeting where they can vote against the 
wishes of the godly members as they are sure to ab- 
sent themselves from services for months at a time. 
Today there were many questions to be settled — elec- 
tion of pastor, parochial school for next summer, syn- 
odical treasury, foreign missionary, etc. The un- 
churchly crowd must have had a preliminary caucus 
before meeting up, because they acted according to 
a program and voted as one man. As we had no 
pastor present, we had to elect a temporary chair- 
man. Emson was elected as being a Norwegian-Dane 
and friendly to both factions. Paul Georgeson opened 
up with prayer and Scripture reading. I shall men- 
tion only a few of the points that came up. The first 
to create discussion was the salary of the pastor. Pas- 
tor Halm's fixed salary had been only $50 a month 
and that was paid a year after it was due. Some of 
us thought that we ought to pay him up ; some even 
thought that we ought to follow the good custom of 
giving him a thankoffering in appreciation of his 
many years of faithful service. Aysee thought that 
Halm had got enough out of us already. The pastor 



Blooded Stock 147 

was paid for funerals, weddings and got money and 
provisions as gifts from so many that he did not need 
any other salary. Danielson replied that Halm had 
been offered several other charges at from $800 to 
$1,200 a year, but he had refused them because he 
wanted to try to do some good in this charge. 'Sit 
down/ said Aysee. 'I have the floor, sir/ answered 
Danielson, 'and before I sit down I wish to ask how 
much Aysee has contributed of his free will to Pastor 
Halm. I also have been trustee in my day, and I 
know that Aysee is not in the habit even of contribut- 
ing to the fixed salary of any pastor we have had/ 
'That will do. Don't get personal/ said Chairman 
Emson. T didn't intend to be. I beg Aysee's pardon 
for being personal/ 'You don't need to/ answered 
Aysee. T just want to say in answer to Danielson's 
fling at me that I am no hypocrite. I don't waste 
much time in church to please such weather roosters 
as Halm, a man who shouts for church schools and 
sends his children elsewhere, nor do I waste much 
money in feeding grafters. I tend to my own affairs, 
make my own living and do not sponge on others/ 
Some demanded a vote on the question. Emson said 
there was no motion yet. Aysee moved that the salary 
remain at $600 a year for both Congregations. Emson 
said that there was a delegation from the town Con- 
gregation and they wished to report what had been 
done at their meeting. There were four delegates in 
the party from town and three other members who 
had dropped in from curiosity. These seven were 
Peetlars, Fred Riig, Thomaselbo, Sr., Slinnola, the 
four delegates, besides Perati, Torpine and Wardem- 
erik, the three visitors. Peetlars was spokesman. He 
said that after considering the high cost of living, and 
the expense connected w T ith the ministry in keeping a 
team, attending conventions, being at the head of the 



148 The Academy for Princes 

list on all contributions, having decent clothing and 
the like, it was only fair to pay the minister $75 a 
month. He thought the minister of all men needed 
an auto besides. He was sure that there was not a 
man in the Congregation that would do the minister's 
w T ork at even that salary. He did not see how any 
minister could live on less than $900 a year under 
present conditions/' 

Mrs. Morgan: 'Tine. That Peetlars is a broad- 
minded, liberal hearted fellow/' 

Morgan : "Albertare thereupon moved as a sub- 
stitute to the first motion that the new pastor be paid 
$900 a year. Jayare Jacobs seconded it. We voted 
on the substitute first. Both sides seemed equally 
strong, but the chairman said $900 had wcTn out. A 
division was called for, and the $900 motion lost/' 

Mrs. Morgan: "How did you vote?" 

Morgan : "I voted against a raise, because I 
thought it was too large for such a small charge. A 
motion to reconsider was promptly made, and it w T as 
argued that we could not get a pastor unless we paid 
him a living salary. It would not do to starve him. 
A pastor has to pay for the things he needs, and if 
he doesn't pay promptly it casts a shadow on the good 
name of the ministry. I decided to change my vote, 
and so did several others who were favorably disposed 
to the congregational work. The salary was fixed 
$900. But that means that we shall have to pay $12 
instead of $8 a year to the congregational treasury. It 
is pretty hard, considering the w T ay prices soar." 

Mrs. Morgan : "If only the many outsiders in our 
midst who are enjoying all the advantages of the 
Church, such as preachings, Baptisms, Confirmations, 
funerals, would join, then they could help share the 
burden of the few. If all should do like them, there 



Blooded Stock 149 

would be no Church on this earth, no Gospel would 
be heard, darkest night would fall upon this sinful 
world. We can be thankful that we have the Church 
and that the Lord still sends us His pastors to gather 
our people, all gone astray, as sheep without a shep- 
herd. Besides, $12 a year for pastoral service is cheap. 
William Nessheim paid $142 for his first operation 
for appendicitis and $100 for his second one. The 
Mortensens have paid out over $1,000 for surgery 
alone. I read in the farm journal about a man whose 
son was acquitted at a murder trial. The lawyer 
asked only $400 for his services. The father insisted 
on paying more. I thought to myself: If the father 
had spent $400 on making the boy a Christian, there 
would probably not have been any murder or legal 
expense. — Tell me more about the meeting." 

Morgan : "The election of pastor was easy. We 
had two candidates, the Rev. Prof. Thronulv and 
Candidate Dypdale. You remember that they both 
preached here. The Congregation had had so much 
trouble with Halm because he was so set in 
his views, and they ascribed it to the fact that he 
had been a teacher so long, therefore nobody spoke 
up for Thronulv. I did hear Perati say to his neigh- 
bor: 'But Halm preached the full and pure Gospel 
as w x ell as any man I have heard/ Wardemerik said : 
'There is no use talking. Dypdale we must have/ 
Thomaselbo added: 'He is filled with the Spirit/ 
The vote for pastor w^as unanimous for Dypdale. He 
had got every vote at the town election, too." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Papa, I did not hear him when he 
was at our church to give his trial sermon. I could 
not go that time. Mrs. Willis was there, and she was 
w T ild about him. She said Halm was nothing in com- 
parison." 



150 



The Academy for Princes 



Morgan : "I have noted that every new speaker at 
the church is considered most charming. I am like 
everybody else in this regard. I like to hear new 
voices in the pulpit, and was completely won over by 
Dypdale's vigorous preaching. Halm was so reserved 
and matter-of-fact. It was always pure doctrine and 
painful practice with him." 

Mrs. Morgan : "How did the vote on the parochial 
school turn out? Are we going to have any school in 
our district?" 

Morgan : "No, the opposition was too strong. The 
question turned chiefly on the cost. Ladokk made a 
little speech about our duty as a Congregation, the 
Bride of Christ, to train up our children, the children 
of God, in His Word and ways. We had promised to 
do so when we joined the Congregation and whenever 
we witnessed a Baptism. We had so far been doing 
so little. Everybody knew that many of the homes 
had laid aside the duties of Christian instruction com- 
manded by Moses and Solomon and Christ, besides 
Luther in the Prefaces to his 'Catechisms/ Every- 
body knew, too, that the Sunday schools were in- 
sufficient. He could speak from experience, having 
taught Sunday school in the Congregation for seven 
years. When he said the Sunday school could not 
supply the necessary training that God's princes 
needed, he hoped no one would misunderstand him. 
He was a man and had the strength to make the trips 
to the school house and the church in every sort of 
weather to make fires and conduct classes. So could 
also Charles Nilsen and William Pea, who had 
conducted a Sunday school a still longer period 
over in their nook of the world. He could 
not understand, however, how some of the girls 
and women could do so. There were Miss 
Jackson and Mrs. Svenanders, Miss Williamson and 



Blooded Stock 



151 



Mrs. Nels Sea, Miss Thorvaldi, Miss Belinda Tho 
and Miss Jessie Emeliussen, together conducting four 
little Sunday schools in the widely scattered Congre- 
gation, and so far these women had not had a cent 
of pay for their inestimable service of love to His 
little lambs. When he made a motion for a month of 
parochial school in each of five districts, he did so 
with the full approval of all of the Sunday school 
teachers. The motion was seconded by Carolson. A 
lively debate followed. Hendictsdane said he was for 
more parochial school, but against more expenses. 
He was afraid the extra expenses would keep people 
from joining the Congregation or would compel 
others to leave it. Last year they w r ere induced to 
get a Normal trained teacher, Mr. Perry Taaranwick, 
and he gave general satisfaction. But to get him 
the Congregation had been forced to raise the monthly 
salary from $25 to $35, and this resulted in a deficit 
in the treasury of $70. To get this money in, Adolph 
Hans, Ole Halvor, John F. Hanson and he had to can- 
vass the whole Congregation, and this had taken 
them about three days each. In addition to this work, 
the ladies' aid had had a coffee and ice cream social 
to raise money to pay the deficit ; the young people 
had had an ice cream social for the same purpose, 
and Halm had contributed $5. Last year we had only 
three districts with a month of school in each. This 
year five were proposed. The people seemed to want 
Mr. Taaranwick again. That would mean a deficit 
of at last $140 this year. Any child could see that 
if the money was to be raised by special canvass and 
ice cream parties the Congregation would have no- 
thing else to do all summer than to canvass and eat 
ice cream. We would be paying too much for our 
whistle, and therefore he for one w y ould vote against 
Ladokk's otherwise worthy motion. Carolson got the 



152 The Academy for Princes 

floor and said he did not look at the question from 
the same angle as Hendictsdane. He said that five 
months' parochial school at $35 per month would 
amount to $175, or about $2 per family. The proposed 
extra expense was $70 or $1 per family. The two 
months of religious school was w T ell worth $1 per 
family, and he would gladly add $1 or $5 to his yearly^ 
contribution in order to save the canvassers, the wo- 
men and the young people extra steps, and the 
stomachs relief from too much ice cream/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Carolson is only a hired man and 
a single man at that. Hendictsdane has 300 acres of 
land and a house full of children. How differently 
they look at things. What a queer world/' 

Morgan : "Well, the discussion became lively. 
Several men without children said it was unfair for 
them to pay for other people's children. To this was 
replied that we had to pay our share of taxes for the 
support of the state schools, whether we would or not. 
One said that the expense of the parochial was enough 
to break a man's back. He was answered that the cost 
per child in the common schools of the United States 
in 1914 was over $39 and in this State was $52, while 
the cost per child for religious instruction in our 
Congregation according to Ladokk's motion was 
about $1.50. We do not murmur at paying up to $300 a 
year taxes to the State, but we howl at giving $10 to 
the Church. 'Render unto Caesar the things which 
are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are 
God's.' " 

Mrs. Morgan: "And how did it turn out?" 

Morgan: "I told you' we lost. Mr. Gunder was 
the last man to make a speech. He said we are 
getting too much religious instruction. The preacher 
condemns us to Hell every Sunday and the teacher 



Blooded Stock 153 

fills up our children with fear of Hell every weekday 
when we have parochial school. He had never sent 
his child to parochial or Sunday school and never 
would, even if he were church disciplined, but he didn't 
think the deacons would discipline him as long as he 
paid his assessments. The vote was pretty even, but 
turned against the five-month motion. Hendictsdane 
moved three months, and that carried without debate. 
Then came the most ticklish question on today's 
program — " 

Mrs. Morgan: "The synodical treasury ?" 
Morgan: "Yes, just that. Every family, you re- 
member, had received a booklet from the synodical 
treasurer, Erik Voldlund, explaining the importance 
of the church high schools, academies, colleges, nor- 
mals and seminary, and asking for willing and abun- 
dant support in a measure proportionate to our in- 
comes and blessings. I had read the booklet and, 
since visiting my old academy, I had made up my 
mind to be more liberal this year. Therefore I made 
the motion that we try to raise the full sum asked 
of us, 50 cents for each confirmed member. I can 
not now go into the details of the discussion. So 
many wanted to speak at once. Most of the speeches 
were against our church schools. Rasmussen said 
the teachers worked only two hours a w r eek on $1,200 
a year. To this I answ r ered that I had attended an 
academy and that the teachers worked all day and 
not one of them in my day had over $700 a year. 
Now some get more, for everything costs twice as 
much as then. Hovgaard said, 'What's the use of 
having church schools anyway? They are so costly 
that it is impossible for poor people to send their chil- 
dren there?' He had read that our college w T as a 
college only for millionaires. Even our schoolmaster, 
Taaranwick, had to admit that he could not see why 



154 The Academy for Princes 

our schools are so expensive, while the state schools 
are free. Taaranwick had said that he wanted to 
continue his studies at college, but could not because 
the expenses there were so fearful. He said that on 
account of the expenses he could not advise anyone 
to send his children there. What's the use of having 
schools that you cannot send your own children to, 
anyway? To this Danielson replied that Taaran- 
wick had not attended our college and went too much 
by hearsay and talked too freely about things he was 
not posted on. Danielson had had two children at 
the academy for four years and had one there now. 
He had visited the school, and had been studying 
catalogs and reports and talking with men who had 
first hand information, and had been doing some 
figuring himself. He said that just as the parochial 
school is run cheaper than the common school, so is 
the academy run cheaper than the high school and 
the church college than the state university. T am 
able to tell exactly what it has cost me to send my 
children to the academy/ he said. Tt has cost $i a 
week each for tuition, but the board has been at cost, 
hence cheaper than for those who send their children 
to town. I have got through cheaper than any of you 
who have used the local high school. I have a list 
showing that it cost the State an average of $540 per 
student to run the state university one year; on the 
other hand, the cost to the Synod of running our 
church college, including the boarding department 
and the dormitory, per student is only $186 a year. 
In addition to these expenses, the personal expenses 
at the state university, as many of you know from 
having had to foot the bills, is from $300 to $700 a 
year, whereas those at the church college are only 
from $200 to $400 a year. It is entirely wrong to say 
that our schools are more expensive just because some 



Blooded Stock 



155 



young man or woman has been given a lot of spending 
money by foolish parents/ " 

Mrs. Morgan : "That is what I say, too." 
Morgan : "Aysee w T anted to know what the syn- 
odical treasury was for. If each paid his own tuition, 
what was the use of the treasury? To this Ole Halvor 
answered that this treasury helped to keep down the 
tuition. The state schools are supported by taxes ; 
the church schools by this treasury and tuition. Fifty 
cents for each grown up was not much of a hardship, 
but it w T as a great help to the schools. Without it 
they would have to close their doors, for the tuition 
money was insufficient to pay the teachers and run- 
ning expenses. The schools brought blessings to 
every Congregation — they gave them preachers, 
teachers and deaconesses ; they gave them enlightened, 
consecrated church members in every walk of life. 
The Synod with its schools was like a train, serving 
the community. The synodical treasury was like the 
coal-car behind the engine ; if it were empty, the en- 
gine w r ould stop. Aysee interrupted, saying that this 
Congregation had never had any good of the Synod 
and its schools. Andrew Evans replied that today we 
have called a new pastor. Where did he get his 
training? From the state university, perhaps? No, 
from the church schools. Where did Halm come 
from, and all the pastors before him? Where did 
Taaranwick get his education and his zeal for pa- 
rochial schools? All of our pastors and teachers have 
been trained in church schools. We owe them a little 
support in return. Mr. Scho'nheim argued that there 
were many Danes, Swedes and Germans in the Con- 
gregation, and they couldn't see any sense in their 
supporting Norwegian schools. Jayare Jacobs begged 
leave to say that he was a Dane by birth and senti- 
ment, yet he would gladly admit that the Norwegian 








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Blooded Stock 



157 



pastors who had come there to serve had served all 
Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Germans, Frenchmen, 
Englishmen, and all the half-breeds of 18 complexions 
without respect of persons ; and all the Danes and 
other nationalities were just as much indebted to the 
Norwegian schools as the Norwegians were. The 
greatest contribution that the Norwegians and Danes 
could make to this country was to train up Nor- 
wegians or peoples of other nationalities as the chil- 
dren of God and to send out ambassadors in Christ's 
stead. J. A. Johnson said he was a Swede in hair 
and hue, nevertheless he loved his Norwegian wife as 
well now as on his wedding day, and he felt at home in 
this Congregation, though served by Norwegian- 
speaking pastors. Several began to call for a vote 
on the question. Chairman Em.son said that Mads 
Peter had asked for the floor. Mr. Peter, you know, 
is a Dane and a college graduate, and we expected a 
clear-cut speech from him. He gave a ringing plea 
for the motion. 'Brethren/ said he, /You have noticed 
in your last agricultural paper a picture of a Duroc- 
Jersey hog from the Perrin farm, mother of 54 pigs 
in four litters within two years. That hog, gentlemen, 
is worth $400, or not a cent. It has a history and an 
ancestry. The owners of this family of swine have 
put a lot of thought and money and work into this 
animal. Why? Because it pays. Mr. Swenson, who 
lives only 20 miles from here, bought a hog and paid 
$1,800 spot cash for it, so that he could improve his 
breed. Our country paper said he was an intelligent 
farmer. At our Farmer's Club not a man among you 
suggested he had paid too much for his whistle. In 
the same number of our farm paper is a picture of a 
Guernsey calf that is worth $1,000. It's history goes 
back only three generations, yet it is a powerful argu- 
ment for careful breeding and feeding. A while ago 




A BLOODED HOG. 

From "Farm, Stock and Htmie." 




A BLOODED CALF. 

From "Farm, Stock and Home.' 



I 



Blooded Stock 159 

we read about a Wisconsin farmer who paid $6,000 
for a calf. We are willing to pay enormous prices for 
blooded stock and to do almost anything to raise bet- 
ter swine and cattle. But here we are complaining 
about contributing 50 cents each to making better 
citizens; we are hollering about the injustice of giving 
a half a dollar towards the training of the sons of 
God to walk in His steps. It makes me sad and sick 
at heart. That is all.' He sat dow 7 n. We voted and 
the synodical appropriation carried the day. Aysee 
moved that we adjourn. Halvor O. Thon said we had 
to wait until we had disposed of the mission question. 
This was soon settled, for people wanted to get home 
to their chores. We decided to support a foreign 
missionary this year, also." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Good." 

Morgan.: "Thereupon Christian Victorfar gave a 
fervent prayer and we sang, standing, 

" 'Now thank we all our God, 

With hearts and hands and voices.' " 

Mrs. Morgan: "I am so glad your motion carried. 
We can easily give $1." 

Morgan: "I am going to give $10 this year. I 
have always given as little as I could; now I shall 
give as much as I am able." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Don't you think that that is going 
too deep into our small treasury? You know the crops 
were small this year, and you lost two horses, Tom 
and Topsy, this summer. And then you had to buy 
Daisy and Queen at a high price. And you must not 
forget that you have been planning on buying a Ford 
in the spring." 

Morgan : "I have thought it out, and if you do not 
refuse my request, I will ask that you let me give $10." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Have your wish, then, this time, 
Big Heart." 



Chapter Seventeen. 
WAR. 



John A. Johnson (at the creamery) : "Who has 
now won out at election, Mr. Morgan? Is it Hughes ?" 

Morgan: "No, it looks as if Wilson gets it again, 
and I am glad." 

Johnson : "Yes, I s'pose you are, for you are a 
Democrat. But I am not, for I am a Republican." 

Thusnes: "I am proud to say that I am neither 
Democrat nor Republican. I am a Socialist and voted 
for Benson." 

Danielson : "There is something good in the plat- 
forms of all of these parties, but there is also some- 
thing wrong and something lacking. The Prohibi- 
tion platform has to my mind been the most progres- 
sive, therefore I have been voting the Prohibition 
ticket for years. Hanley got my vote." 

Thusnes : "You threw away your vote. Your 
party will never get into office." 

Danielson : "How you talk, sir ! Perhaps you did 
not throw away your vote then? Perhaps Benson will 
be the next president?" 

Thusnes: "I admit that we did not elect Benson. 
I admit even that we may never be so strong as a 
political party that we can elect the highest officials 
of the land. But we Socialists believe we have a 
righteous cause to fight for and would rather be right 
than president. We believe that if we keep on agitat- 
ing for our principles and get a fair number of voters 
to vote for our candidates and get a city mayor or a 
congressman here and there, now and then, elected on 
our platform, that we shall command such respect 



War 161 

that the two old parties will begin to take up our 
ideas and put them into their platforms and carry 
them out in practice. We believe that our cause is 
right, and that we shall win, even in election defeats. 
I am very well sati3fied w T ith my vote for Benson. " 

Danielson : "Try to stretch your imagination over 
into a Prohibitionist's mind and heart. He, too, be- 
lieves his cause is right and that a vote for a losing 
candidate is not in vain, because it w r as cast in behalf 
of a worthy cause and a brave exponent of that cause. 
Maybe the drink problem is not a big problem? And 
maybe the struggle for the abolition of the saloon 
has not resulted in sentiment for abstinence among 
Republicans and Democrats? And maybe one-half 
of the States in the United States have not already 
voted dry? I am glad to say that the men who have 
worked for Prohibition have not labored in vain even 
though they have been mocked and rotten-egged and 
kept out of office. " 

Morgan : "You Socialists and Prohibitionists take 
too much credit to yourself. The fact is, it is the 
Democratic party that has stood for people's rights 
all along and that has really put into practice the 
Prohibition theory. The South began to turn out the 
saloons and the South is solid Democratic/' 

Johnson: "No, it is the Republican party that has 
stood for the people's rights all along. It was the 
Republican party that put an end to slavery, which 
was the darling institution of the Democratic South. 
It was the Republican North that began to put into 
practice Prohibition. Think of the dry States of 
Maine, Kansas, North Dakota and Washington." 

Morgan : "If Roosevelt had been president we 
would have been at war w r ith all the world. Wilson 
kept us out of the war." 



"WET" AND "DRY" MAP OF THE UNITED STATES BY STATES, JANUARY 1. 1893 




White— Prohibition Territory 
Shaded — Local Option Territory 
Black — License Territory 



White spots in Black states show Indian Reservations "dry" by Federal law 



Revised Wet and Dry Map of the United States — White Indicates 
Dry Territory — On to Washington and Make It All White 





-> — ' — '-A*'-— *.— -~ — rrr 



N3 



THE RESULT OF "THROWING AWAY ONE'S VOTE." 

2,637,490 square miles dry, 336,400 wet; 2,543 counties in U. S. dry, 
355 wet (1916). 



Wai 



163 



Johnson : "Wilson would have plunged us into 
the war on the side of England long ago, had it not 
been for the Germans in this country holding him 
back and the Germans in the Fatherland not wanting 
to fight us. You claim too much for your man. We 
do not want to fight anybody and nobody wants to 
fight us, even if we are unfair and unneutral." 
Morgan : "We are not unneutral." 
Johnson: "Which side are you on?" 
Morgan: "I want to see Germany spanked proper 
for breaking the neutrality of Belgium." 

Johnson : "And you want to see the United States 
sell ammunition, provide food, and loan money to the 
English to accomplish this dastardly act. You are 
neutral ; you are, in fact. I am thinking of England's 
treatment of Greece, China, Transvaal and America. 
But enough said. I am not a neutral." 

Danielson : "Let us not discuss the election and 
the w T ar as partisans. I am for the Gospel of peace. 
I do not believe it is necessary for us to fight, nor for 
the Europeans. There is a place in the sun even for 
the Germans, even though their land is small for 
such a mighty people. They have so far been emigrat- 
ing to English lands in America, Australia and else- 
where ; and they have been treated well there. They 
have gone into South America, Africa and Asia, and 
have done w^ell there, too. I believe they should be 
a blessed and mighty people without militarism. 
And I believe that England could maintain her rank 
in the commercial w 7 orld without navalism. I cannot 
understand the present propaganda in this country 
for preparedness, another name for navalism and mil- 
itarism. We have so far been spending over 70 per 
cent of our total federal budget for w^ar. You come 
with me home and I will show you from the 'World's 



164 The Academy for Princes 

Almanac/ and the United States reports, that in a 
period of 120 years this peaceful nation has spent 
over $13,000,000,000 for war and less than $5,000,- 
000,000 for peace. This means that in our history as 
a nation we have already spent -over three times as 
much in defense and destruction as in education and 
material improvements. If we trusted in God, as w r e 
say on our dollar, we would not be shouting for pre- 
paredness. And if we were neutral, we would not be 
making bullets to pierce the hearts of our friends and 
kinsmen across the sea. And if we believed in prayer, 
w T e would still be beseeching the Lord of hosts to 
pronounce His almighty 'Peace, be still' to the war- 
ring sons of men/' 

Thusnes : "I believe in peace, but I cannot stand 
your sermonizing, Danielson. We Socialists want as 
little to do with religion as possible. So I am off." 
(Goes.) 

Danielson : "We Prohibitionists want to have as 
much of Christianity as possible. We prefer to vote 
as we pray." 

Johnson: "I shall have to get my milk cans home 
too before dinner/' (Goes.) 

Morgan : "I, too, ought to get a move on myself." 

Danielson : "Let Joey drive your team and you sit 
on with me. I have to go past your place anyhow." 

Joey: "Good. I want to drive." 

Morgan (getting on Danielson's wagon) : "Aren't 
you mistaken as to the expenses for war and defense 
in this country?" 

Danielson : "No. Our expenses were second only 
to England's up to the war. And still our ammunition 
factories and warlike statesmen are not satisfied. We 
should have a law that these men should be lined up 
in the first line of battle when war breaks out." 



War 165 

Morgan : "We will never have a war with such a 
peaceful president to govern us." 

Danielson : "I do not like to say anything against 
him. I have, however, not forgotten that we shot 
into Vera Cruz without warning, killing children 
sitting at their school desks. There are other things, 
too, which make me think that he might be induced to 
fight. For example, a whole army was sent into 
Mexico after one man, Villa. We know also that 
'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap/ 
We are sowing hatred and fear in preparing for war, 
and we will get hatred and fear and all the horrors of 
war in return. Carnegie wrote about five years ago a 
tract called the 'Baseless Fear of War/ arguing that 
the nations were too civilized and too prepared for 
such expensive folly, but the war came anyway as 
a direct illustration of the Scripture passage just re- 
ferred to. But that is not my point. I believe war is 
an expensive sin. Jesus came to bring peace upon 
earth. He is called also the Prince of Peace. He 
has urged us to be at peace with one another and has 
said, 'Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be 
called the sons of God/ You believe that w T e are the 
sons of God?" 

Morgan : "Certainly I want to believe it, but at 
times it seems so unreasonable. Besides so few take 
it seriously or rejoice on account of sonship. They 
are very proud of any remote connection with cel- 
ebrated men, but you do not catch many reckoning on 
any advantage from sonship in God's household." 

Danielson : "The cost of war has appalled me be- 
yond words. I was reading last night in a magazine 
an article by Frank H. Simonds, perhaps the best 
known authority in the United States on the European 
war, on what the war is costing in men. He says 



166 



The Academy for Princes 



that there have been 18,500,000 casualties — killed, 
wounded, imprisoned — in 26 months. This does not 
include the Turkish losses. This means the loss of 




' **&r$*i 



U*Jt/»4 



A CEASELESS STREAM. 

From "The Literary Digest." 



over 25,000 men a day, 25,000 of the strongest and 
best men, for only picked men are wanted. And most 
of these, sir, are baptized men, called to be the sons 
of God. Did Christ use the sword or command Peter 
to use the sword ?" 



War 



167 



Morgan : "No. He went about doing good to His 
enemies and prayed, 'Forgive them, for they know 
not what they do/ He commanded Peter to return 
his sword to its scabbard, 'for all they that take the 
sword shall perish with the sword/ But there is also 
a passage which says that He came not to send peace, 
but a sword. Do you understand that passage, Daniel- 
son?" 

Danielson : "I understand this and other passages 
only in part. Even although I do not understand a 
certain passage I accept it in faith anyway. I do not 
believe that there are any real contradictions in the 
Bible. For example, as to the word peace. It is 
spoken of in the Bible in several ways, just as the 
word paradise may have different meanings. The 
meaning can generally be determined from the con- 
text. There is peace with God, peace of God, or in- 
ward, peace on earth, and so forth. I understand 
somehow that the truth that Christ brought does not 
bring peace, but conflict. The Pharisees and people 
found it a hard saying; it was unto the Jews a stum- 
bling block and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto 
believers the wisdom of God. I can understand some- 
what how this truth concerning Christ can on the one 
hand, set a man at variance against his father and a 
daughter against her mother; and how it can, on the 
other hand, make the nations beat their swords into 
plowshares and cease teaching the science and art 
of war/' 

Morgan : "Have you any idea as to how^ much this 
European war is going to cost?" 

Danielson: "In money? No. It must have cost 
about $50,000,000,000 already; besides the men, 
25,000 men lost every day on the battlefield — a cease- 
less stream — almost as many men lost in a day as 
there are preachers in Europe ; many times as many 




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War 169 

soldiers lost in a day as there have been Christian 
missionaries from the beginning of the Christian era 
until now. And all these men are wasted, their sacri- 
fice apparently in vain ; and then the hatred and the 
heartaches ; men who have never seen each other 
hating and being hated. And, again, the dulling of 
the moral sensibilities of those at home through the 
constant recital of slaughter; and the unloosening of 
the moral bonds, the increase in lawlessness and im- 
morality amongst young and old, female and male. 
Can you understand it?" 

Morgan : "It seems to me sometimes as if the world 
applauds at the destruction of men, but mocks at the 
salvation of men/' 

Danielson : "I have made up my mind that I 
would do all that I can to give my sons a princely 
education. If the good Father in Heaven will call 
them into His service as preachers, teachers or mis- 
sionaries, I shall rejoice; if He wants them to continue 
on the farm or in some other humble calling, good 
and well, providing they be not forced to go to war 
to kill some poor fellow being, and providing they 
'will show forth the praises of Him Who hath called 
them out of darkness into His marvelous light/ 
Morgan, why can't you plan on sending your children 
to the church academy, there to get a princely train- 
ing in God's Word. Louisetta ought to be there now, 
you will have to admit." 

Morgan : "I am thinking of the expense — -and the 
sacrifice — ." 

Danielson: "Expense, man. And sacrifice! What 
will not a man sacrifice in the name of patriotism. 
Haven't we been talking about 25,000 murdered a day 
in the name of patriotism ; 25,000 willingly sacrificing 
themselves for their countries and their countries' 



170 The Academy for Princes 

commerce. Johnson's son-in-law, who returned from 
Canada, says that mothers, wives and sweethearts 
urge their sons, husbands and lovers to enlist, and 
goodbye's are said without a tear. Is it any sacrifice 
to urge your child to study the Word of God and to 
walk in His steps? We have been talking about ex- 
pense. A single warship may cost up to $12,000,000, 
as much as our state university has cost since its 
foundation, 300 times as much as the average high 
school or academy plant. If nations are so liberal 
in providing for destroying life, cannot we also be 
liberal in providing for saving life?" 

Morgan: "This country does not want war. It 
wants only to prepare in self-defense. I believe you 
are fanatical in your charges against the administra- 
tion." 

Danielson : "I do not believe in that kind of prep- 
aration for defense. It will lead to bloodshed. Teach- 
ing men to observe all things whatsoever He hath 
commanded is a better preparation for defense. It is 
the only princely training." 

Morgan: "Here is my depot. I shall have to get 
off. Thanks for companionship." 

Danielson : "Make a reckoning of the expense at 
high school and academy, and make the sacrifice. 
Farewell." 

Morgan : "Say, Danielson. You really believe that 
the fact that you and other Prohibition cranks have 
been throwing away your votes, has brought about 
the present Prohibition sentiment in the old parties?" 

Danielson : "I do. Prohibition is one of the many 
political issues that somebody must suffer for before 
it is recognized by voters and politicians. In the 
parable of the 'Unjust Judge' the widow got her rights 






War 171 

at last, by keeping on asking for it. Our Prohibition 
votes are a petition for redress and right/' 

Morgan: "I was thinking more about something 
else. You know I have planned on giving my children 
a high school training rather than an academy educa- 
tion so that they shall not be handicapped in the 
struggle for a living. I have regarded a boy going to 
an academy in the same way as a man throwing his 
vote away for a losing candidate. But maybe I am 
wrong after all." 

Danielson : "You are wrong, I fear. Sacrificing 
for right is not loss. Even if we should lose our life 
for Christ's sake, the same would save it." 

Morgan: "Well, so long/' (Goes homeward, at 
first musing, then breaking into song) : 

"O for a faith that will not shrink, 
Though pressed by many a foe, 
That will not tremble on the brink 
Of any earthly woe ; 

"That will not murmur nor complain 
Beneath the chastening rod, 
But, in the hour of grief or pain, 
Will lean upon our God ; — 

"A faith that shines more bright and clear 
When tempests rage without ; 
That when in danger knows no fear, 
In darkness feels no doubt ; 

"That bears unmoved the world's dread frown, 
Nor heeds its scornful smile — " 

Joey: "Help me unhitch, Father." 
Morgan : "Aye, aye, sir." 



Chapter Eighteen. 



COFFIN NAILS. 

Joey (coming back from school) : "Every one in 
the eighth grade has to write an essay on 'Cigarettes.' 
What do you think of that, Mother?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "It is a splendid idea. Perhaps 
Papa will help you this evening. But first you must 
think hard about the subject and get down on a piece 
of paper your points and group them into an outline. 
That is the way we used to do it when we were at 
school. " 

Joey: "But Papa smokes. He wouldn't care to help 
me on that account." 

Mrs. Morgan: "He would be just the man to help 
you on that account. Now you see. If he won't, I 
will. I have some definite views on the question." 

* 

Joey (in the evening) : "Teacher has set us to 
writing an essay on 'Cigarettes.' She says that we 
might just as well write on some useful and live sub- 
ject as those given in the books. She wants us to do 
some thinking, reading and asking on this question. 
I have been thinking and reading until my head is 
in a whirl. I never knew it could contain so many 
ideas on one subject before. And now I am going 
to do some asking. Is tobacco a necessity?" 

Morgan : "Not a natural necessity. It is a ne- 
cessity to some who have acquired the habit." 

Joey: "When should a boy begin smoking?" 

Morgan : "A boy should never begin." 

Joey: "When should a man begin?" 

Morgan: "Men seldom begin. The majority be- 



Coffin Nails 173 

gan as boys. Men would save money and be better 
off if they never began." 

Joey : "Will you help me pick out facts for my 
essay? I have Overton's 'General Hygiene' here, and 
that gives a number of facts. Which shall I take and 
which omit?" 

Morgan : "Every physiology is radical, bitterly 
condemning the use of tobacco. Most people would 
therefore omit everything said by your physiologies." 

Joey: "Listen, then, and hear what Overton has 
to say. He describes it as a plant first used by the 
Indians and now by all the known world. It is used 
in the form of chewing tobacco, smoking tobacco, ci- 
gars, cigarettes and snuff. 'Tobacco contains a sub- 
stance called nicotine, which is a powerful poison. 
Two or three drops of pure nicotine would make a 
man dangerously sick. The reason why those who 
use tobacco are not killed by it is that they do not 
sw T allow much of the nicotine/ It has a narcotic effect, 
but because it is a poison it cannot be used as a 
quieting medicine." 

Knute: "What does narcotic mean?" 

Morgan: "J oe y> what does it mean?" 

Joey: "Narcotic means quieting." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Yes, and also benumbing, stupe- 
fying." 

Morgan : "What does the physiology say concern- 
ing the effect of tobacco?" 

Joey: "It produces two forms of poisoning, a quick 
and a slow. The quick form is a feeling of stomach 
sickness, with paleness and weakness. The slow form 
is a weakening of the muscles, heart,- lungs, brain, 
eyes, and every other organ of the body. It retards 
the growth of the cells, fills the lungs with smoke, the 



174 The Academy for Princes 

blood with nicotine, makes the heart beat irregularly, 
and reduces the strength and vigor of mind and limb. 
It is far more dangerous to boys than men. It makes 
boys dull, idle and bad. Boy loafers and boy crimi- 
nals are nearly all cigarette fiends. Cigarettes are the 
worst form of tobacco, not because they contain more 
nicotine, but because they are more pleasant to the 
taste, and. more nico.tine is therefore absorbed. The 
reason why men use tobacco is, that they have formed 
a habit of using it; the reason that boys use it is, the 
example of their fathers. " 

Knute: "Why do you use it, Father?" 
Morgan : "I have gotten used to it and crave 
for it." 

Joey: " Would you advise us to begin?" 
Morgan : "I have again and again forbidden you to 
touch it. It is not so very harmful to adults, although 
very harmful to boys. Therefore, no one should be- 
gin its use until 21 at least." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Better never?" 
Morgan : "Better never." 
Knute: "Why don't women smoke?" 
Mrs. Morgan : "It is- a nasty and disagreeable 
habit. On trains the men who smoke have to be 
herded together in smoking cars. The rest have first 
class service." 

Morgan : "I have a couple of tracts on the cigar- 
ettes. I'll get them. Here is Pomeroy's 'The Boy 
and the Cigarette,' and McKeever's 'The Cigarette 
Smoking Boy.' Let's see what Pomeroy says. He 
begins by stating what a boy is for. He is made to 
become a man. I would add what, Mother?" 
Mrs. Morgan: "A prince of God." 
Morgan : "Right. Then we are told that cigarettes 



Coffin Nails 175 

are tobacco, and tobacco is in no ways useful to the 
boy. On the contrary it is harmful. Leading medical 
authorities are cited at some length to show the effects 
of tobacco on the young. Eighty years ago the aver- 
age age of the learner was 22, now it is 1 1. The irrita- 
tion of the lining of the mouth, throat, lungs, etc., is 
described; the effect on the nerves and the juices of 
the stomach, and other serious damages are dwelt on 
in turn. Then follows a comparison of smokers and 
non-smokers in the common schools, made by 10 
teachers after several months of observation. In this 
list I note that there was one nervous non-smoker to 
14 smokers; 3 were slow thinkers of non-smokers to 
19 smokers; 16 of the smokers were loafers, 15 w r ere 
out nights, but none of non-smokers had these faults ; 
79 of the smokers failed at promotion, but only 2 of 
the non-smokers failed. The book show r s that em- 
ployers do not want smokers. The foremost Nations 
and States are trying by law and education to check 
and prohibit the use of cigarettes. I might add that 
the insurance companies, the army recruiting stations, 
and the women do not fancy tobacco users. The book 
closes with the advice that boys with money to burn, 
should pause before they smoke away their life's suc- 
cess, and that fathers should think of the w T eight of 
their example/' 

Knute: "Why don't you quit, Father?" 
Morgan : "I haven't thought it a very bad habit. 
But if you say so, I suppose I had better. Willis says 
he can quit whenever he w r ants to, but he adds in the 
same breath that he does not want to. I am not so 
sure that I can, but I want to. Habit is like a chain ; 
hard it is to unshackle." 

Mrs. Morgan : " 'Habit is a cable. We weave a 
thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it.' 
This is one of the memory verses I learned at school." 



176 



The Academy for Princes 



Morgan : "I learned another on 'Habit.' 'Habit is 
either the best of servants or the worst of masters/ ' 

Joey : "Teacher said that I must not forget to men- 
tion the cost of the tobacco habit." 

Morgan : "There was something on that in the 
farm journal this week. I mean there were some fig- 
ures on the total tobacco business of the United States 
for the year. Here they are : The United States 
raises every year about 1,000,000,000 pounds of to- 
bacco, one third of the world crop. The tobacco busi- 
ness of the country is valued at about $1,000,000,000 
a year. About one third is exported; the rest is used 
at home." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Do you remember, Ole, that article 
in our church paper some time ago which ridiculed the 
pastors for being smokers? It reckoned that the pas- 
tors at this convention, lasting one week, smoked $400 
worth of cigars on the walks outside of the church, 
while the whole convention made an offering to mis- 
sions amounting to only $100. The comment was 
'Coffin Nails and Love for Souls.' " 

Knute: "I know what 'coffin nails' means. The 
Jones boys smoke and the Johnsons. Ed Jones calls 
cigarettes 'coffin nails/ 'Here, give me a coffin nail/ 
he says to Claus Johnson." 




m 

THE SEVEN AGES OF THE CIGARETTE FIEND 






Coffin Nails 



111 




SMOKING "COFFIN NAILS." 

Joey : "The teacher said one day when she heard 
the expression : 'Yes, they are really coffin nails, and 
the undertaker is waiting for your turn to come/ [ 

Mrs. Morgan : "Now Joey wants to get more de- 
tailed facts about the cost of tobacco. The farm paper 
gives only general facts for the whole nation. Can't 
you furnish facts, Papa, that apply to a particular 
case ?" 

Morgan : "Ish, I suppose you are trying to make 
me appear as the Horrid Example and to get me to 
figure out how much the weed has cost me. Hand 
me my ledger, Knute. I began keeping accounts 
about 27 years ago, and I can tell almost exactly how 
much I have spent for this and that. Tobacco. — My 
total tobacco bill is nearly $400, or about four cents a 
day. That is not bad/' 

Mrs. MorGx\n : "$400 is enough money to pay for 
an auto — and do you remember the article on the 
ladies' dormitory at our college? We were reading 
it. Mr. Selbyg was here over night. He said there 
was no money in the country for church school build- 




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Coffin Nails 179 

ing. Then I read this article and showed him the 
picture illustrating it. You remember." 

Morgan : "Yes, underneath a picture of the pro- 
posed women's building was the terse remark : 'The 
waste in tobacco among the people of our Synod 
would build just fifty such halls a year. Which is the 
least sinful, burning up your money or educating the 
future mothers ?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "Then Selbyg said that he would 
not give anything anyway, because if the Synod got 
money to put up this building, then it would soon be 
filled to overflowing with students, and then next year 
would be heard another horrible wail, 'Come over and 
help us. We have too many students, too little 
room/ " 

Morgan : "Yes, I remember. And I showed him 
that the tobacco money of our Synod alone, if diverted 
to the building fund, could put up fifty $60,000 ladies' 
dormitories a year." 

Mrs. Morgan : "And then he said that he could not 
understand why there should be a call for money for 
the school treasury every year. Would it never be 
full?" 

Morgan : "And then I showed him this treasury 
went to pay the teachers who had to have a yearly 
salary, just as w r e were making money and receiving 
blessings from on high yearly." 

Mrs. Morgan : "And then he said that in spite of 
the new buildings and the endowment fund and the 
salary fund the expenses of the schools were going 
up." 

Morgan: "Just so. And I tried to show him that 
this could not be helped. The tuition was the same 
as before, except at two schools. Board was higher 
because foodstuffs and kitchen help was higher. It 



180 The Academy for Princes 

was given to the students at about cost, and even at 
less than cost. The new buildings w r ere needed be- 
cause the attendance was larger, for which he ought 
to be truly thankful/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Selbyg said the schools ought to 
be free and self-supporting, and that he wouldn't give 
a cent more to their support/' 

Morgan : "I remember. Selbyg was, nevertheless, 
not as hard of heart as of speech. He gave more to 
that building than w r e did. Now, to get back to these 
books ; this book by McKeever is apparently more 
hostile to cigarettes than the one by Pomeroy. You 
do not perhaps need any more facts, Joey, do you?" 

Joey: "I will see. Will you help me with my out- 
line?" 

Morgan : "No, you must make that yourself, and 
write the essay yourself." (Begins to hunt for an- 
other book.) 

Mrs. Morgan : "What are you hunting for, any- 
way?" 

Morgan : "I want to find the academy catalog. 
Here it is. I want to find out what the expenses really 
are. Let me see. Clothing and books will be about 
the same as at the high school. Board and room in 
town is $3.50 per week, or $126 per year, at the high 
school, and $2.75 per week, or $99 per year, at the 
academy. The board and room is §2J less at the 
academy, if the children stay at the dormitory. In- 
cidentals are about the same. Tuition is $36 at the 
academy. If we subtract $27, the amount we save at 
the academy on board and room, from $36, the amount 
of the tuition, the difference will be $9, the added 
cost of the academy education. If we add $10 for 
carfare going and coming twice, the total cost at the 
academy over and above the high school will be $19. 



Coffin Nails 181 

Mother, do you think that an academy education is 
worth $19 per year more than a high school educa- 
tion?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "Well, the academy was a good 
place for us. We got a thorough training in all of 
the subjects. We got a princely training in the Word 
of God. We learned to love our Lutheran Church and 
our Norwegian tongue, besides the United States and 
every other land under the sun, and every people 
sitting in darkness as well as walking in the light. 
If you could afford to spend $12.55 f° r tobacco last 
year, which you have admitted here was a waste and 
an injury and a bad example, you can afford to spend 
$19 on education. Have you really come to the con- 
clusion that the academy is worth while? I thought 
you were still set on the high school. " 

Morgan : "The academy is best. And the best is 
none too good for the children of the King. — Say, I 
have the fever." 

Mrs. Morgan: "The auto fever again?" 

Morgan : "No, I am getting over that. It is an- 
other kind this time. The paper announces that there 
is to be an educational convention next week at the 
cities. I want to go for a day, and you can go along, 
too. It will cost only about $10 for both of us. What 
do you say?" 

Mrs. Morgan: "What do I say? You know what 
I will have to say, no matter what I should like to do. 
I can not leave home as long as Mary is not well and 
Louisetta is off to school." 

Morgan: "May I go then?" 

Mrs. Morgan : "You may, on the condition that 
you will solemnly promise to behave when you get 
loose from Mother's apron strings." , 



Chapter Nineteen. 
SYSTEM. 

Morgan (back from the school convention) : "That 
was a convention for you. I sat through it all wish- 
ing that you all were there." 

Mrs. Morgan : "You will have to give an account 
of yourself. Did you behave?" 

Morgan : "I tried to reflect credit upon your ex- 
cellent training; indeed, I did." 

Mrs. Morgan : "That is satisfactory. Now tell." 

Morgan : "The program included a sermon on 
Christian training, lectures on each of four stages of 
school life — elementary, secondary, college and pro- 
fessional education, and, finally, a lecture on 'The Cost 
of Our Church School System/ Each lecture was 
open for discussion. Mr. Magnus Ben-John was the 
presiding officer and Mr. Marius Hagenius w r as the 
secretary." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Who were the speakers? Anyone 
we know?" 

Morgan : "Yes. At least we had heard of many of 
them. The sermon was delivered by Professor Kri- 
stian Eriksen of the theological seminary, a very elo- 
quent speaker. I had a notebook along and jotted 
down points. The text was 'Now are we the sons of 
God/ The speaker reckoned that divine sonship was 
a high state, above that of presidents, kings, and em- 
perors, that it promised the possessor a vast heritage, 
laid upon him a tremendous life work, required of 
him the most lofty and tested character, and insured 
for him the most blessed destiny. To secure all of 
these objects, the speaker said the prince would have 



System 183 

to get a training fit for princes, namely, to be taught to 
'observe all things whatsoever God had commanded/ 
This training could not be secured at every school ; 
but there were schools erected for the sole purpose of 
giving this training, just as there were schools whose 
object was to train soldiers or doctors or jewelers 
or bookkeepers. The church schools were schools for 
princes. The state schools were schools for citizens. 
It was not his object to discuss the exellency of the 
schools, or their faults. He had heard that state 
schools had their shortcomings, and that was natural. 
The teachers were human and imperfect; the pupils 
likewise. Sometimes a pupil at a church school would 
go wrong; at times, a teacher would fall by the way- 
side. He did not excuse backsliders and evil doers. 
On the contrary, such shortcomings always made 
him feel sad and fearful of his own spiritual safety. 
Still he did not lose faith in the power of the Word 
to save. Still the object of the church school re- 
mained the same — to train up God's princes right. In 
choosing a school one should think also of the object 
of the school, just as in going on a journey a man 
inquires carefully which road will take him to his 
destination." 

Mrs. Morgan : "That was the keynote of the other 
voices at the convention, I presume." 

Morgan: "Yes. I did not hear a discordant voice. 
Rev. Lars Kvenna gave a charming speech on the ele- 
mentary school, including Sunday school, Saturday 
school, parochial school, congregational school, and 
confirmation school. One of the men who got up to 
take part in the discussion of this speech was no other 
than our friend and former schoolmaster, Perry Taar- 
anwick. Taaranwick was as full of enthusiasm as 
ever. He sailed into this turbulent sea of parochial, 
congregational, Sunday, Saturday, confirmation and 



184 The Academy for Princes 

common school education with all his sails full. 
'Luther/ said Mr. Taaranwick, 'is the father of the 
Christian public school. What is meant by Christian 
public school? We have state public schools, but they 
can hardly be called Christian public schools, for they 
do not teach the Christian religion. We have Chris- 
tian church schools, but they can hardly be called 
Christian public schools, for the public does not sup- 
port them or attend them. What, then, is meant by 
his being father of the Christian public school? It is 
this : Luther believed that schools should be for the 
public. He never conceived of a school system with- 
out the Christian religion, such as the American com- 
mon schools. He never conceived of a school system 
such as the church schools. He conceived of a school 
system from the lowest to the highest grades for all, 
in which the word of God should have chief place and 
be the most common lesson all the time and for every- 
body. Luther's idea found root in Europe ; here in 
America it does not seem to thrive. The public schools 
cannot be made Christian on account of the nature of 
our civic freedom ; the Christian school scannot be 
made public on account of the many nationalities and 
Sects of this land. Luther's ideal can, therefore, only 
be partially realized in this country. We Norwegians 
must do as Pastor Kvenna has said and done — es- 
tablish as many Christian schools as possible all along 
the line and try to get as many of the public as pos- 
sible all along the line to attend them. Let the Nor- 
wegian church schools be for Norwegians first, of 
course, for our duty like charity should begin at home. 
Then let us invite our conglomerate neighborhood to 
enjoy our rich repast — Danes, Swedes, Germans, Eng- 
lish, French, Spaniards, Finns, Russians, Czechs, 
Dutchmen, Greeks, Jews, Chinamen, Japanese, Irish, 






System 185 

Welsh, Syrians, Arabians, Icelanders, Poles, Turks, 
Negroes, Indians, Skonnings and Sognings." 

Joey: "Did they cheer Taaranwick?" 

Morgan : "No, the meeting was held in church. 
Dr. Martinus Hegg gave the address for the academy. 
I was very anxious to hear what this well informed 
scholar had to say, and was really just then more in- 
terested in the academy than any of the other grades. 
He said that, 'in order to call attention to the fact 
that it is not only preachers and teachers in our church 
schools who hold the idea that the religious element 
is a necessary part of a complete education, he would 
submit for careful consideration some opinions on the 
question by statesmen and educators of national repu- 
tation. It ought to be reasonable to assume that par- 
ents want the very best education within reach for 
their children. Let them note, then, what these men 
think is the best and most complete education. And 
if they decide that our church schools are the best 
places for their children, let them remember that the 
doors of our schools stand wide open to receive them/ 
He quoted the opinions of such men as Taft, Roose- 
velt, Bryan, and a dozen others. What struck me as 
strange was that these men of national fame were 
more severe with our public school system than any 
churchman I have ever heard or read. He had a num- 
ber of his citations printed, and I secured a few copies 
of the tract. Listen to the Boy Orator, the silver 
tongued William Jennings Bryan: T believe that 
there is assurance of the life that now is, as well as 
of the life to come; and I am anxious that this life 
should be brought to the consciousness of every hu- 
man being. The heart has more to do with human 
destiny than hand or mind. The pure of heart shall 
see God. — I want my boy, if he is to dig ditches, to 
begin his digging with the best education that the 



186 The Academy for Princes 

country can give him, but the education of the heart 
is above the education of the head/ " 

Mrs. Morgan : "That was to the point." 

Morgan : "Listen now to the Pitchfork Senator 
from South Carolina, Benjamin Tillman : # 'There are 
a number of solutions for the nigger problem ; educa- 
tion for instance. You may educate a nigger w T ith 
book learning all you please, and it only makes him 
the bigger devil, unless you can elevate his morals 
and educate his heart at the same time/ ' 

Joey: "Whew. He uses pitchfork arguments, he 
does/' 

Morgan : "Now hear President Hadley of Yale : 
T do not believe that you are going to make the right 
kind of a citizen by a godless education, and then add- 
ing on religion afterwards/ " 

Mrs. Morgan : "You must have picked out the 
severest criticisms/' 

Morgan : "I am reading at random. They are all 
severe. Here is what the 'Popular Science Monthly' 
says : 

"'i. We have more murders than all Europe com- 
bined. 

' '2. We have more divorces than all Europe com- 
bined. 

" '3. We have more great thieves and embezzlers 
than all Europe combined. 

" '4. We have more sex-sins (some of them hitherto 
unheard of on earth) than all Europe, Russia, and 
Asia included. 

" 'This is severe, but it might be added that we stand 
on record as having within our confines more pagans 
than exist within Japan. 

" Tt might be stated, moreover, that races noted for 
their probity and decency in Europe, readily yield to 






System 



187 



disintegrating influences that obtain in the United 
States/ 

"And here is what the 'New England Journal of Edu- 
cation' writes Sept. 1907: 'Are they wrong, are they 
stupid, are they ignorant, that they found parish 
schools, convents, colleges, in which religion is 
taught? Not if a man be worth more than a dog, or 
the human soul, with eternity for duration, is of more 




no, t-fHoTTc^v 

The Church That Lays Stress on Christian Schools for Children and Youth 

Will Increase; the Church That Turns the Children Over to 

the State Schools Will Decrease. 



value than the span of animal existence for the day. 
If they are right, then w r e are wrong. If our Puritan 
fathers were wise, then we are foolish looking upon 
it as a mere speculative question. With their policy 
they will increase ; with ours, we will decrease. We 
are no prophet, but it does seem to us that Catholics 
retaining their religious teaching and we our heathen 
schools, w T ill gaze upon Cathedral crosses all over 
New England when our meeting houses will be turned 



188 The Academy for Princes 

into barns. Let them go on teaching their religion to 
the children and let us go on educating our children 
in schools without a recognition of God and without 
the reading of the Bible and they will plant corn and 
train grape vines on the unknown graves of Plymouth 
Pilgrims and^ of the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay, 
and none will dispute their right of possession. We 
say this without expressing our own hopes and fears, 
but as inevitable from the fact that whatsoever a man 
soweth that shall he also reap.' " 

Mrs. Morgan : "Do you really believe that absence 
of Christian instruction is the primary cause of our 
having a worse criminal record than other countries ?" 

Morgan : "It is not for me to make such state- 
ments on my own authority. I would at once be called 
a radical, a dangerous fanatic, and the like/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "And did any one discuss Dr. 
Hegg's quotations ?" 

Morgan : "Most certainly. Prof. Michael Jacob- 
son, Mr. Stadholz, Dr. Glas^ia, and others took part. 
Jacobson said that in working among the heathen the 
church established a school system in which the chil- 
dren were taught religion every day in every grade. 
He could not understand why the Norwegian Church 
gave Indians of Wittenberg, Wis., Christian instruc- 
tion five days a week, while the Norwegians were 
given only a smattering of religion during the hot 
summer months. He had been a foreign missionary 
and was as much interested in the salvation of Indians 
as any man alive, yet he could not understand why 
stranger Indians were entitled to be trained as princes 
while the white children of one's own household 
should be left to nature and heathendom. They ought 
to have some more substantial food than husks that 
swine eat. 



Growth of the public schools and decay of the church schools 
(percentage of attendance). 



decrease of 
church parochir 
schools:? to9# 

Of church 
academies: 99$ 1 

Of church coll* 

91# to 63#. 




91$ Increase of 
80^ public elementary 
schools: ?to 91#. 

Of high schools: 
1% to 80/.. 



Of state universities! 
9% to 37%. 



Decrease of 
church school 
attendance. 



(Jfclso decrease of 

Bible reading in 
public schools an 
exclusion of Bible). 




Increase of crime. 



69 % 

Increase of public 
school attendance. 



I860 1880 1900 
.Relation of religion in education and crime, 1850--1908. 



190 The Academy for Princes 

"Stadholz said that he lived in the big city 
close up to the best high schools in the country. 
He had heard the plea for princely training so often 
put forth that he had gotten to believe it, in spite of 
the fact that many of the preachers and professors 
who made the plea did not seem to practise what they 
preached. He did not have any princes, but he had 
five princesses, and these were dear to his heart every 
one of them. His neighbor, an American, sent his 
sons to Harvard and his daughters to Vassar. No 
one considered this American foolish, radical or un- 
American for not sending them to the state university 
right at hand. He would do the same. He would 
send all of his girls away to a princely school, there 
to get a princely education. This he had done. 

"Dr. Glas^ia had a lot of facts and figures to show 
that academy graduates make good. It is a libel to say 
that they lose out in life. It is about as much of a 
lie as that preachers' sons are as a rule bad. The fact 
is that preachers' sons have made the best records in 
this strenuous world of competition and temptation, 
that their chances are 18 times as good as that of any 
other professional men's sons. The fact is, that the 
man with a Christian training will sooner or later be 
found out and come to his own. Christians are still 
the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 
Princes by birth, by training, by calling, cannot es- 
cape attention." 

Joey: "I am glad I am not a preacher's son. I 
don't believe that they stand any show." 

Morgan : "Hush, child. Hughes and Wilson, the 
recent presidential candidates, were both of them min- 
isters' sons. Prof. Glas^ia said there were none so 
blind as those who would not see. He would state 
only facts as to the chances of success that an academy 
graduate had, yet he expected some of his hearers 



System 191 

would not believe a word he said. 'A man convinced 
against his will — Is of the same opinion still/ ' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Tell about the college lecture/' 

Morgan : "It was spoken by Dr. Sunburgh, and 
a fine orator he was too. It was discussed by Profes- 
sors Svein and Milbye and the Hon. Mayor P. Tolai. 
These men emphasized the fact that colleges trained 
for leadership, and that most of the real leaders in 
every walk of life came from Christian colleges. The 
seminary address was given by Secretary Gold of the 
mission board. He looked out upon the fields and 
they w r ere white unto the harvest. The harvest truly 
was great, but the laborers were few. He urged us 
to pray for more laborers. 

"Pastor Hans Sattlee added a few remarks on the 
need of men of deep piety and sincere spirituality. 
The Lord wants men after His own heart. Prof. M. 
Roollwaag called attention to the need of men of 
thorough scholarship and practical w r isdom. The best 
training is none too good for the princes of God, who 
are to work in His vineyard. Mr. Buughe, who had 
for a generation been connected with the seminary and 
knew T our pastors as men better than- any other single 
man, made a stirring appeal to the young men present 
to join the ranks of the ministerial army. He would 
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of his God, than 
dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

"The most brilliant speech on the program w T as given 
by Dr. Jay Osgar on 'The Cost of Our School System/ 
He defined system as placing together a number of re- 
lated objects, facts or principles according to some 
method by which a complete plan or whole was formed. 
He gave several illustrations. The human body, for ex- 
ample, with head, trunk, and all its members was a 
system. If it lacked an eye or an arm or a leg it was 
not a complete system. If it was not complete, its 



192 



The Academy for Princes 




OUR CHURCH SCHOOL MAN. 



His head (seminary) is good, but his legs (elementary schools) are 
poor, therefore he has to be thankful that he can wobble along on his 
stumps selling leadpencils. But, supposing he had good legs — , would 
he be the weakling and burden and beggar that he now is? 



System 193 

usefulness would be impaired. That would mean 
cost. When one member suffers, all the members 
suffer with it. When one member's usefulness is lost, 
the usefulness of all the members is affected thereby. 
It costs to be sick or disabled or minus essential or- 
gans. A faulty system is costlier than a more perfect 
and healthy one/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "We feel the point of his remark, 
who have had so much sickness in our house. " 

Morgan : "He used another illustration from the 
railroads. 'We speak of the Great Northern Railway 
System/ said he, 'and we mean all the main lines, 
branches and terminals and offices, including Mr. Hill 
himself directing it all. It has cost a pile of good silver 
dollars to build such a road, but it has been worth 
while. The old ox teams made painful progress over 
the hills and prairies and through the big woods and 
sloughs. We are not hankering for those days. We 
can take Jim Hill's palatial flyers twice a day for any- 
where and everywhere at two cents a mile. But sup- 
posing this system lacked bridges across the rivers 
and tunnels through the mountains or superintendents 
to direct the work? These deficiencies would be 
costly, indeed. Hill's personal income tax would not 
be reckoned at $3,000,000 a year/ " 

Joey: "Guess he would soon go bankrupt." 

Morgan : "You are right. Then the speaker said 
that about 80 years ago the State had no complete 
system of schools and the state schools did not amount 
to a fizzle. In 1837, however, the Massachusetts board 
of education elected Horace Mann as its paid secre- 
tary, and he set about to create a system. The story 
of this creation and the development of the state 
school system until today is very interesting indeed, 
and is a powerful argument for system in education. 



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System 195 

The state school system lacked only one essential — 
it lacked religious training. This deficiency was de- 
plorable, because it could not be helped. But it was 
costly. It throttled the soul life of the American 
youth. It froze out with its icy touch the Christian 
faith of the fathers." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Prof. Osgar was speaking on the 
cost of incomplete systems, it seems/' 

Morgan : "Just so. He said ours was incomplete 
and therefore costly. Our seminary was good., we 
had provision for college training, but had too few 
colleges and no university where postgraduate and 
professional courses could be studied as when Luther 
was a teacher, in the light of Gospel truth. Further- 
more, we were short on academies. Worse still, our 
elementary schools were all the time sidestepping and 
waltzing ragtime to the tune of the common schools. 
Our church school system was like a man with his 
legs cut off. He was now using two cork legs, — Sun- 
day schools and parochial schools, with the staff of 
confirmation instruction to help wiggle along with. 
Our system was like a transcontinental line with its 
bridges all swept away, like a railroad without a su- 
perintendent or president. We had no man who could 
be the hand of the Church to the schools or the voice 
of the schools to the Church. We should long ago have 
had a paid secretary or a superintendent who devoted 
all of his time to awakening interest in home training, 
the establishment of congregational and other ele- 
mentary Christian schools, giving information about 
church schools, getting money for the schools, getting 
students for the schools, locating and promoting new 
higher schools, raising the standards of the schools, 
and a hundred other things, such as, directing the 
writing of school text books in all kinds of schools. 
Church and State. " 



196 



The Academy for Princes 



Mrs. Morgan : "The school secretary would be a 
busy man, I guess." 

Morgan : " 'Busy is no name for it,' said Dr. Osgar. 
He went on to compare our school board's duties 
with those of a building committee. Let us say that 
the home training is the foundation, the first floor is 
the elementary school, the second floor is the academy, 
the third floor is the college and the top story is the 
seminary. He pointed to a picture of our publishing 




OUR CHURCH SCHOOL SYSTEM AS IT IS. 



plant as an example of a four story house. Everybody 
knows that we need a good foundation for a good 
house, otherwise it will sag and rot and be unhealthy. 
Our committee has no instruction to inspect the foun- 
dation. We know that the first floor is occupied by 
everybody and most of the time. Our committee has 
nothing to do with his floor. The second floor it 
takes a hurried glance at, the third it looks at with 
considerable care and decides to spend considerable 
money on, the attic and roof it inspects with closest 



System 



197 



zeal lest there should be a leak somewhere through 
which heresy might dribble in. That the students 
who shall live up in the fourth story may be real 
comfortable the committee ordains that a smoking 
room shall also be fitted out where the theologians 
may inhale the sweet perfumes of 'Sweet Caporal' 




OUR CHURCH SCHOOL SYSTEM AS IT OUGHT TO BE. 

and 'Omar' while listening to the wail of a lost world 
and the Gospel of redeeming grace/' 

Mrs. Morgan : "Good. Guess he never asked Dad 
about 'Sweet Caps.' " 

Morgan : "Thereupon Prof. Boby made a closing 
address as follows : 'Several speakers have referred 



198 The Academy for Princes 

to our relations to the state schools and the sectarian 
schools. In all that we say and do we ought to be 
fair and consistent. There is a saying that we should 
even ''give the Devil his due." I interpret this saying 
to mean that we should give even our worst enemies 
credit for all they deserve. Now, many pastors and 
professors regard the state schools and sectarian 
schools as treacherous enemies and openly attack them 
at all times and places. We should be fair to them. 
They are really not rival schools, but allies. All aim 
to train for useful citizenship. The State has a right 
to educate everyone of its people, that does not get 
this training elsewhere. The Sects have a right to 
give their adherents a general and special education. 
Both have a duty to perform, just as we. Suppose 
the State did not seek to train up the teeming millions 
the way they should go ; and suppose the Churches 
did not strive to make Christians of the multitudes — 
what a chaos we would have, and what a task would 
rest upon us, a small and fearful band of "hardy Norse- 
men. " The state and sectarian schools are performing 
a good work and we have no business to be hostile to 
them. Let us be fair. 

" 'And let us be consistent. In one of our academy 
towns the president of the academy and the president 
of the board of trustees of the academy send their 
children to the local high school, whereas they stand 
up in church and plead with the people to send their 
children to the academy. Do they take the people 
for fools? Consistency, thou art a jewel. 

" T look upon the state schools as mine, even more 
so than the church schools. I am a Norwegian- 
American, an American citizen of as good standing 
as if I were an Anglo-Saxon-American or any other 
kind of superfine hyphenate. I pay my share of taxes 
without a murmur, and I am taxed $50 for the support 



System 199 

of the public schools, whereas I am asked to con- 
tribute only $i to the maintenance of the church 
schools. I have attended the state schools eight years 
and owe them a debt of gratitude. The Church did 
not stand ready to provide me the valuable knowledge 
received during those childhood years. If there is 
anything wrong about the state schools I have the 
same right and duty as any other citizen, to try to 
rectify it. I have made use of my right to a con- 
siderable extent, and I have found that public school 
men are quick to see and hear and act w T hen a church- 
man with some understanding and a spark of sym- 
pathy calls attention to deficiencies in the public 
schools. .The public school system is a wonderful 
system. The public school men are as good school 
men as you can find; they are full of zeal, vim, cour- 
age, the spirit of enterprize and sacrifice, often putting 
us churchmen to shame. Many of them are earnest 
Christians who use all permissible means to lead the 
young aright. Some of our own most prominent 
laymen are teachers there. I have in mind such loyal 
churchmen as Drs. J. G. Ranrude and L. Omenn, both 
professors at the university, besides many others. 
Let us quit knocking the state schools. We need 
them. 

" 'But they need also us. And I w T ant to demand of 
them, too, to be fair and consistent with the church 
schools. They have their limitations. They can teach 
no religion of any kind, heathen or Christian. The 
State itself has put this limitation upon them; all 
the Churches earnestly desire for the sake of peace 
that the state schools may never meddle with religious 
instruction, for every man in this country is entitled 
to religious freedom. If any man, or body of men, 
wants to run a school w r here religion also is taught, 
the State should gladly give its permission. The 



200 



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State needs Christian citizens. The State needs the 
Churches and the church schools for its continued 
peace and prosperity. Church schools can do what 
state schools are forbidden to do — teach the 'One 
Thing Needful/ They can therefore directly produce 
the Christian type of character, that is, the highest 
type ; in fact, that is their chief aim. For this reason, 
the Churches of the United States have erected many 
hundred colleges with buildings costing $500,000,000, 
which surpass in value that of the state universities. 
This is a free will gift of love to the Church and to 
the State. I do not want to see the State hinder the 



Hfrminl 10 %- 



Mental 70 % 



Public 
School 
Education. 



Physical 



10 % 



Religious 



10 % 



PROPOSED EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS AND 
SUPERSTRUCTURES. 



free work of the church schools in any way, but in 
every way encourage it. 

" T believe in the public schools. They are doing 
good work. It is no shame to attend them. But I 
believe more in the church schools. They are trying 
to furnish the foundation and life of Christian char- 
acter, and in so far, at least, far surpass the state 
schools. For that reason I would that all might at- 
tend church schools from the time that the little 
toddler romps off to kindergarten until the spectacled 
bachelor gives his commencement oration. I believe 
that a complete education should be mental and 



System 201 

manual, but also physical and religious — religious at 
the foundation and all along. And I agree with Prof. 
Osgar that we need more system in our church 
schools. His illustration of the topheavy building I 
consider very happy. Look at the house without the 
first two stories. See the boys trying to get to the 
second floor by means of the corner posts — parochial 
school, Sunday school, Saturday school and Confirma- 
tion. Truly, somewhat strenuous. 

"'Another illustration occurs to me, I saw a wo- 
man walking down the streets in snow and slush with 
the poorest shoes imaginable on her feet, and a $75 
hat on her head. I felt like advising her to get a good 
pair of 98 cents shoes and a pair of 69 cents rubbers. 
Then I thought : We are as foolish in an educational 
way as this child of fashion is in dress. We are to 
provide our Seminary with ten professors or more, 
give our academies $500 a year for support and refuse 
to pay one cent to keep a man on the job as secretary 
or superintendent of schools/ *' 

Mrs. Morgan : "There is some one at the door. 
Open it, Joey." 

Danielson (entering) : "I heard you were here, 
and wanted to ask you to come over and tell me 
about the convention some time. I have not time 
to stay now. — And say, I have good news. Naomi 
Gilber has decided to go to the academy and James 
Peterson has already gone to the seminary." 

Morgan: "For land's sake. You don't say." 

Danielson : "For water's sake. It is so." 

Morgan : "For land's—" 

Danielson : "For water's — . It is." 

Morgan : "I have made up my mind to send Loui- 
setta after Christmas. I spoke to her in town about 



202 The Academy for Princes 

it, and she did not seem quite as obstinate as usual. 
Julia is writing to her to come." 

Danielson: "You know Willis has twice backed 
down on sending Dagny and Henry. Now Dagny 
wants to go. Julia has been doing missionary work 
more effective than what we elders could do. Dagny 
would also go now, if only Willis would give his per- 
mission. Well, so long. You will come over, then?" 

Morgan: "I will. Good night." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Perhaps we had better leave the 
rest of your report until another time?" 

Morgan: "Yes, ma'am." 



Chapter Twenty. 
SACRIFICE. 

[At Morgan's home New Year's Eve. Arentsson is spending the 
Christmas holidays with his friend Morgan.] 

Telia (in Arentsson's lap) : "Another story, please." 
Arentsson : "Another story ! Will you never get 

enough? What shall it be?" 

Telia : "Oh, about Jesus in the manger." 
Arentsson: "But that you know. You told that 

Christmas Eve at the tree in this room, and in the 

church the next evening, and we have heard it again 

tonight." 

Telia: "About Jesus on the cross, then." 
Arentsson : "That I have already told you. And 

you like it? And want to hear it again?" 

Knute : "Yes, but not now. Read again from 'Quo 

Vadis' about the persecution of the Christians." 

Mrs. Morgan : "No, children, Mr. Arentsson shall 

not read any more or tell any more stories tonight. 

It is late and all you children must go to bed." 

Knute: "Can't he tell just a little about the first 

Christians, or about the first Lutherans, or the first 

Norwegians in America?" 

Arentsson: "Do you like such stories?" 

Telia, Knute, Joey (in one breath) : "Yes." 

Arentsson: "Knute, why do you like them?" 

Knute: "When I hear about Jesus on the cross 
and the sacrifices of the first Christians or the first 
Lutherans or the first Norwegians here in this coun- 
try I feel so touched." 



204 



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Joey : "They make me think of a lot of those heroes 
and I want to be heroic, too." 

Mrs. Morgan : "No more stories for the children 
tonight. You may sing one more Christmas song and 
one New Year song, but no more." 




LUTHER'S CHRISTMAS AT HOME. 



Joey:. "Please let us stay up. We want to see the 
Old Year die." 

Morgan : "Yes, let them stay up. It is not two 
hours left till the New Year is ushered in. We can 
spend the time in singing and talking, and the children 
can play on the piano and with their presents. Let us 
now sing a Christmas verse. Here is the Christmas 



Sacrifice 205 

number of our Sunday school paper with a picture 
of Luther and his Christmas at home with his family. 
His example has been followed by millions and 
brought Christ and Christmas joy in to countless 
homes. Here is also one of his beautiful poems. Let 
us sing the eight verses together/' 

All: 

"Thy little ones, dear Lord, are we, 
And come, Thy lowly bed to see ; 
Enlighten every soul and mind, 
That we the way to Thee may find. 

"We gather round Thee, Jesus dear, 
So happy in Thy presence here ; 
Grant us, our Savior, every one, 
To stand in Heaven before Thy throne." 

Arentsson : "Telia, you go now and play with your 
dolls." 

Mrs. Morgan : "You seem to be so fond of chil- 
dren." 

Arentsson : "I have always liked them, and they 
have alw r ays liked me." 

Morgan : "You should have been married and had 
a house full of them like myself." 

Arentsson : "I had once intended to get married, 
but — something happened. My intended died." 

Mrs. Morgan: "Oh—!" 

Arentsson : "I have had plenty of other people's 
children. All the children in my neighborhood reckon 
themselves as also mine. Besides, as a schoolmaster 
f° r 35 years, I have had over 2,000 children, lovely 
boys and girls everyone." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Sometimes when the children are 
naughty I feel like giving up. But how dear they seem 
when they get sick and how strong then my courage 



206 The Academy for Princes 

and arms become. I think of the passage : 'As thy 
days shall thy strength be/ " 

Morgan: "I reckon the summer all the children 
were sick and at death's door the happiest in my life. 
Mother and I had to sacrifice and stay up nights 
and get down on our knees and demand an answer 
as we never did before and as we never have done 
since. We were brought nearer to our children and 
our God, the very memory of which is even now an 
inspiration." 

Arentsson : "You have noticed the hold the stories 
of sacrifice have on the children?" 

Morgan : "Yes. I have read stories to them and 
told them stories just as you did this evening. And 
I have been surprised to see them so taken up with 
the heroic, in fact, anything that calls for real sacri- 
fice. There is no story that appeals to them as much 
as the crucifixion. Knute has shed many a tear hear- 
ing it." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Why does the Church not make 
more of Easter and Pentecost? It seems to me that 
all the world rejoices at Christmas, only the dancers 
rejoice at Easter, and nobody knows anything about 
Pentecost." 

Arentsson : "I think I understand why. No, I do 
not care to give my views now. I am thinking about 
the appeal that sacrifice makes to children. Jesus on 
the cross ! The early Christians to the lions ! The 
early Lutherans to the flames ! The early Norwegians 
in America huddling together in their sod houses and 
log cabins at family devotion and congregational ser- 
vice ; then building churches and church schools be- 
fore they had coats to cover their backs. Overcoats 
and overshoes the first two generations of Norwegians 






Sacrifice 207 

in America never used. Theirs was a life of toil and 
sacrifice. " 

Morgan : "The story of sacrifice grips also us older 
people. " 

Arentsson : "It may. When I read in the book 
that you gave me, 'Quo Vadis ; ' of the martyrdom of 
the Roman Christians, I must confess I was stirred. 
I w r as ashamed of myself as a Christian. I had done 
so little, been so cow r ardly in confessing Christ's name, 
sacrificed so little. Just think of it. Nero had burned 
the city. The populace demanded his punishment. 
He promised the populace fat feasts and unwonted 
entertainment, and blamed the Christians. The 
populace knew that the Christians w r ere innocent and 
that he was guilty, but were satisfied if they got their 
feasts and spectacles. Behold the aw T ful spectacle of 
thousands of Christians throw r n before the dogs or 
lions, stabbed down by gladiators, crucified or burned 
at lamp posts. Listen to this vivid description : 'The 
Christians, having finished their songs, remained on 
their knees, motionless as statues of stone, only re- 
peating with doleful intonation, "For Christ ! For 
Christ!" The dogs scented human beings beneath 
the animal skins. Surprised at their silence, however, 
they did not venture at first to throw themselves on 
the martyrs. Some leaned against the w r alls of the 
boxes, as though they intended to go among the 
spectators ; others ran around barking furiously, as 
if chasing some invisible enemy. The people were 
angry. A thousand voices shrieked, some roaring like 
beasts, others barking, others urging on the dogs in 
various languages. The maddened dogs would run 
against the kneeling Christians, only to draw T back 
again, gnashing their teeth. Finally, one of the Mo- 
lossians drove his fangs into the skin-covered shoulder 



208 The Academy for Princes 

of a woman kneeling in front and dragged her under 
him. 

' 'At this a number of dogs threw themselves upon 
the Christians. The mob ceased its tumult, to observe 
the better. Amid the canine howling and snarling, the 
plaintive voices of men and women crying "For 
Christ ! For Christ !" were still audible. The arena 
was now a quivering mass of dogs and people. Blood 
streamed from the torn bodies. Dogs snatched from 
one another bloody members of the human body. The 
odor of blood and torn entrails was stronger than the 
Arabian perfumes, and filled the whole circus. At 
last, only here and there were to be seen a few kneeling 
forms. But even these soon changed into squirming 
masses.' 

"Even strong men fainted at the sight and the odor 
of blood. The spectators, however, as a whole, rest- 
less in soul, drunk and maddened with blood, began 
to call in shrill voices for the lions. The lions had 
been destined for the following day. But here the 
emperor dared not oppose the people's wish. There- 
fore he gave signals for more Christians to be driven 
in and the lions' dens to be opened. At the sight of 
the lions even the dogs cowered and fled. The spec- 
tators greeted them with applause. The Christians 
began singing a hymn of praise to Christ. The smell 
of blood in the sand made the hungry lions restless. 

" 'One of them made a sudden dash on the body 
of a woman with a torn face. Lying with his fore- 
paws on the body, he licked the coagulated blood with 
his rough tongue. Another approached a Christian 
holding in his arms a child sew T ed up in a fawn's skin. 

" 'The child shivered and wept, convulsively em- 
bracing its father's neck, who, wishing to prolong the 
infant's life, if only for a moment, endeavored to tear 
it away so that he might hand it over to those kneeling 









Sacrifice 209 

farther on. The noise and movement excited the lion. 
He emitted a short, sharp roar, killed the child with 
one blow of his paw T , caught the father's head .between 
his jaws, and crushed it in the twinkling of an eye. 

" 'This was the signal for all the other lions to fall 
upon the Christians. Some women could not restrain 
cries of terror. The cries were drowned in the ap- 
plause. This soon ceased. The desire to see over- 
came everything else. Then began terrible scenes. 
Heads disappeared entirely in the lions' jaws. Breasts 
were opened by one blow of the paw. Hearts and 
lungs were dragged out. The crunching of bones 
was heard under the fangs of the lions, who, seizing 
the victims by the sides or back, ran around with 
mad leaps, as though in search of hiding places 
wherein to devour them undisturbed. Other lions 
fought together. Rearing on their hind legs, clasped 
one another with their paws like wrestlers, filling the 
amphitheatre w T ith thunderous roars. Some of the 
audience stood up, others left their seats to reach the 
lower parts of the rows for a closer view. Many were 
crowded to death. It seemed as though the excited 
spectators would end by throwing themselves into the 
arena, to join the lions in tearing the Christians. At 
times unearthly noises were heard, at others applause ; 
then came roaring and rumbling, the gnashing of 
teeth, the howling of the Molossian dogs. And, at 
intervals, only the groaning of the martyrs could be 
heard/" 

Mrs. Morgan : "Awful. What sacrifice ! What 
courage and faith !" 

Arentsson : "These men, women and children 
thought the Word of God was worth dying for as 
well as living for." 

Morgan : "That makes me think that many of us 
are a good deal like Esau ; we would sell our hopes 



210 The Academy for Princes 

of Heaven for a mess of pottage. I have myself known 
a baptized child was a prince of God by right and had 
a right to learn the Word of God, yet I have never 
made up my mind until a few days ago to give my 
children a princely training at a church school/' 

Arentsson : "You are not the only one who thinks 
that w r ay, alas and alas ! I have been a teacher, a 
teacher in the public schools most of my working life. 
I love those schools, and I have done good work there, 
if I may say so myself. But they do not provide for 
the 'One Thing Needful.' They are not my ideal. I 
say so with all my heart that they cannot come up to 
the church schools, no matter if they are ever so much 
better housed and manned. They lack the Word of 
God. Oh, that our people would be willing to sacri- 
fice as much to establish church schools as were the 
early Roman Christian martyrs for their faith." 

Knute,: "What are you talking about now?" 

Morgan : "Arentsson was talking about the sacri- 
fice of the early martyrs." 

Knute: "I thought that of the first Lutherans was 
worse." 

Arentsson : "The book that Julia Danielson gave 
to Louisetta is certainly interesting. Schmidt and 
Schuh's 'Through Luther to Liberty.' How it grips 
the heart and braces up the courage to read of the 
sacrifices of our Lutheran forefathers. There is not 
a boy or girl in the land who would not be proud of 
being a Lutheran after reading such an historical ac- 
count of the first Lutherans. And when we speak 
of sacrifices to keep up our church schools in this 
country, what we are now doing is nothing in com- 
parison with these faithful few at the beginning. The 
only fault I find in this book by Schmidt and Schuh is, 
that it is not quite realistic enough. The persecution 
was worse than this story pictures. And it got in- 




BURNING OF HERETICS IN PATHS. 






Would You Like to Be Burnt Alive for the Privilege 

of Studying the Bible? 

From Ridpath's ''Universal History." 



212 



The Academy for Princes 



creasingly worse after the Inquisition was set up by 
the pope in 1542, and the Jesuits were commissioned 
to carry out its mock work and hellish tortures. I 
see you have there in your shelves a Ridpath's 'Uni- 
versal History/ Look here on page 232 of Volume 
III at the execution of heretics by hanging. On page 
242 is an illustration of burning French heretics in 
Paris ; on pages 253, 257 and 258 we have scenes from 
the Massacre of St. Bartholomew ; on page 297 a man 
is being tried by being hanged by his feet and pinched 
with hot irons until he has confessed to being a Bible 




EXECUTION OF PROTESTANTS IN THE NETHERLANDS. 



What It Cost the Reformers to Read the Bible. 

From Ridpath's "Universal History." 



reader and to knowing that So and So also are; on 
page 304 we see a number of Hollanders dangling 
from the branches of a tree on account of their Pro- 
testant faith. No account yet written can make suffi- 
ciently real what the early Protestants were willing 
to pay for the privilege of reading the Word of God. 
But we poor souls, think that the nearness of a local 
high school or the size of a state university is of much 
more consideration than the Word of God, the only 
real reason why we have established and supported 
church academies and colleges. " 

Morgan: "When I read the book, 'Through Luther 



Sacrifice 213 

to Liberty/' I was astounded at the effect that the 
reading of the Bible and the Catechism had on every- 
body, high and low. For example, 'Day by day Hin- 
nark sat in a quiet corner of the hospital and copied 
the Catechism, which at that time could not yet be 
bought in Vienna. Moreover, the funds of his master 
had become so low again that there was no thought 
of buying books. Writing was a difficult task for our 
Hinnark, who could still wield the hammer and his 
sword far better then the pen. Xothwithstanding he 
thought again and again: "How my father will be 
pleased when he sees what good fruit his instruction 
in writing has borne. He will devour Luther's book ! 
That is bound to relieve him of all doubt." With this 
he whispered to himself: "Purchased and won me 
from all sins, from death, and the power of the Devil : 
not with gold nor silver, but with His holy, precious 
blood, and with His innocent suffering and death, that 
I might be His own." 

" 'When, finally, Hinnark began to narrate his ex- 
perience, which was of special interest to the younger 
members of this truly godly family, the father put 
on his horn spectacles and occupied himself with the 
Catechism. It was an even greater refreshment for 
him than it had been several months ago for Hinnark, 
who, at heart, had placed all his trust in the Savior 
long before he saw the book. When, about midnight, 
the others finally sought their couch, the father was 
still awake, pouring over his Catechism. He probably 
would have read, meditated, and prayed all night, if 
his dim lamp had not eventually gone out. He sank 
upon his knees before his w r orking table and poured 
out his overfull heart to God, who had finally led him 
to a living, saving faith. When he did go to bed, his 
excited thoughts did not permit him to sleep for a 
long time. Xor did the Devil at once take his depar- 



114 



The Academy for Princes 



ture : he marshalled the old doubts to a last assault. 
Again the old tailor asked himself whether the Savior 
had really and truly made atonement for all his sins, 
whether faith was really enough for the forgiveness 




A Lutheran Martyr's Death. 

We can take a stand for Christian education without any fear of the stake. 
From Th. Graebner's "Here I Stand." 



of all sins. As answer he repeated the words : "Not 
with gold or silver/' etc., and then he continued: 
"That I might be His own, and live under Him in His 
Kingdom and serve Him." 

"My dearest Savior, how willingly will I live unto 



Sacrifice 21 5 

Thee and serve Thee, since Thou hast redeemed me 
from all sin, from death and from the power of the 
Devil." 

" 'When the Devil wanted to come once more with 
doubts, old father Smid said aloud: "This is most 
certainly true." 

" 'His wife awoke and asked what he was doing. 

" T have come to faith in my Lord and Savior, and 
no Devil shall rob me of it ; for it is most certainly 
true that I have been saved through Christ by grace 
alone.' " 

Arentsson : "I am still more astounded at the lack 
of effect on the people of today. We are like Israel 
of Jesus' day. It is our day of visitation. Christ is 
preached unto us as the crucified and risen Savior. 
His Word is laid open on every table. We have ears 
to hear, but yet do not hear ; eyes have we to see, but 
do not see. We do not give heed. We have no in- 
tense hunger and thirst as did the men of Luther's 
day." 

Mrs. Morgan : "I can readily understand why we 
should prize the Bible so highly. But don't you think 
we Lutherans make too much of Luther's 'Cate- 
chisms,' the 'Augsburg Confession' and the Creed?" 

Arentsson : "By no means. We prize the priceless 
gifts far too little. Dr. Jonas said about the 'Small 
Catechism' : 'It may be bought for six pence, but 
6,000 worlds w T ould not pay for it.' Luther said that 
he had to eat it daily. It is the 'Layman's Bible,' a 
'Key to the Scriptures.' In a visitation to the Congre- 
gations Luther discovered a wretched condition of ig- 
norance. Hence he wrote the two 'Catechisms,' the 
'Smaller' for the people, the 'Larger' for the pastors. 
'Three things a man must know to be saved,' said he. 
'First, he must know what to do and leave undone. 
Secondly, seeing that he is unable, by his own 



216 The Academy for Princes 

strength, to do it and leave it undone, he must know 
where to seek and to find strength. Thirdly, to know 
how to seek and to get it. Thus the Law shows the 
man his disease ; the Creed tells him where to find 
his medicine, the grace ; the Lord's Prayer teaches 
him how to seek it and appropriate it/ Luther gives 
the central position to the Creed, and in its Second 
Article is the very heart of Christianity. In addition" 
to these three chief parts Luther added a fourth on 
Baptism and a fifth on the Lord's Supper, for the 
edification and comfort of the people of God of all 
times and places. Throughout the whole book 
breathes the atmosphere of childlike, living faith. The 
book is as wonderful and fresh now as when it was 
written. I was teaching parochial school one sum- 
mer in Milwaukee. A stranger dropped in during a 
recitation period. I handed him a Catechism and 
kept on with my work. He began reading with curi- 
osity and increasing interest. 'What a remarkable 
book/ said he after school w T as dismissed. T must get 
a copy. I have never seen anything like it. It affects 
the heart like the first love for woman.' We can well 
afford to read it again and again. We shall no more 
tire of it than we do of bread and butter, of father and 
mother, of spouse and children. The better we know 
it, the dearer it becomes to our heart." 

Mrs. Morgan : "But the 'Augsburg Confession' — 
I have not even read it. I do not know anybody that 
has either." 

Arentsson : "Ju st as Luther's 'Smaller Catechism' 
is the direct or indirect model of all catechisms, so is 
the 'Augsburg Confession' the direct or indirect model 
of nearly all other confessions. It is fittingly called 
the 'Grand Confession,' and as it contains a full, 
though short, statement of the Lutheran doctrines, wq 



Sacrifice 217 

do well in holding it in reverence and in studying it. 
You can get a copy for 15 cents." 

Morgan : "I will get my lady a copy on her next 
birthday, sure." 

Arentsson : "You must be careful not to cast a 
slur on Creed. The Bible states the Word of God ; 
Creed states what a Church understands the Bible to 
teach. Creed is a short summary of a Church's be- 
lief. It is the flag of the Church, the pupil of its eye. 
The Christian Church as a whole has three General 
Creeds, formulated like all other Creeds, through ne- 
cessity, after much study and discussion with heretics. 
Then there are the special Creeds of each denomina- 
tion, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, etc. 
Each Church states in the special Creed its interpre- 
tation of the Bible. We believe the Lutheran Creed 
conforms to Scripture on every point, and we do not 
want to hear any slur upon it." 

Mrs. Morgan : "I have heard preachers even laugh 
at Creed as narrowness." 

Arentsson : "If a man thinks the thoughts of God, 
he is not narrow, though alone. Holy things can be 
blasphemed. Jesus was called Beelzebul." 

Mrs. Morgan : 'The children are singing. Listen : 
'Now found is the Fairest of Roses/ " 

Arentsson : "All that glitters is not gold. Real 
gold is often overlooked. There had been gold in 
California centuries before 1849, but the eyes that 
saw saw it not. A man in St. Louis County, Minne- 
sota, sold his farm for $1,500, thinking the purchaser 
was a fool to pay so much for rocks and stumps. The 
buyer had discovered a vast deposit of iron cropping 
up to the surface of this farm and made his million 
mark with the purchase. A French soldier in the War 
of 1871 was captured and cared for in a German home. 



21.8 The Academy for Princes 

Having been well treated, he deeded his property to 
these new-found friends. The deed was written on a 
photograph. These Germans could not read French 
and kept the picture on their wall until one day a 
man who could read French in astonishment revealed 
the content of the writing. So we live our lives in 
unhappy ignorance of the meaning of the mottoes 
and pictures on our walls, the carefully, penned and 
dearly purchased Creeds and Confessions and Cate- 
chisms, the infinite riches of the Word of God." 

Morgan : "Our liberties and heritage have cost our 
forefathers not a little." 

Arentsson : "Not a little. In the first place, our 
salvation, though free, is the costliest gift of all. It 
has cost the life and the death agony of the Son of 
God. In the second place, the spreading of the Gospel 
of salvation and its preservation has cost much work 
and sacrifice. The disciple is not above his Lord. We 
have been speaking of persecution for Christ's name's 
sake. At times these heroes of the faith seemed to 
stand alone against the powers of darkness, just as 
Luther at Worms : 

" 'And prince and potentate were there, 
With powers to burn or ban, 
The Church, the State, and Hell arrayed 
Against one steadfast man.' " 

Morgan : "We do not have the chance to fight and 
sacrifice heroically as did our forefathers." 

Arentsson : "Oh, yes, we have. In matters of faith 
we are sorely beset by all the 'isms' of Hell. There 
never were so many Creeds and such indifference to 
Creed at the same time and everybody attacking us 
like mosquitoes in a marsh or microbes in a pesthouse. 
We have all the Reformed Sects, the Catholics, the 
non-Christian Sects, the anti-Christian societies; we 



Sacrifice 219 

have the reaction from Puritanism and holding fast 
to Creed; we have the .secular spirit which would 
tear away from school, legislative hall and court the 
last trace of Christianity; we have the spectacle of 
mere religion being confused with the Christian re- 
ligion, of morality and humanity being made equiv- 
alent to the Gospel of salvation by faith; we have 
law-making without end, and lawlessness and anarchy 
daily practised without a blush even by law-makers ; 
we have a bloody prosperity and an insane craze after 
lucre and pleasure ; we have little time for solid read- 
ing or meditation, for home duties and worship in the 
Lord's temple. It is harder to be a hero of peace than 
of war, to go up stream than down, to be different 
from the crowd than to silently or noisily follow in 
its wake. But we have heroes even today. Prof. 
Boby, for example, I reckon as one. You know him?" 
Morgan : "We certainly do. He is a fine fellow. " 
Arentsson : "You may know that after he had 
served a while as a minister, he w T as called to take 
charge of a new academy. It takes some faith and 
backbone to accept such a call at a time when high 
schools shoot up in a night like Jack's beanstalk. He 
accepted, gritting his teeth for the struggle. Promi- 
nent Lutheran pastors prophesied that his school 
would close its doors within three months. Boby se- 
lected assistants who were unmarried and willing to 
sacrifice. For four years these men did not draw any 
salary, but lived on their relatives and charity. To- 
day his school is without debt, is valued at $100,000 
and has about 300 students in attendance. Talk about 
heroism and patriotism. This Norwegian-American, 
this hyphenate, as men are pleased to call the foreign- 
born who are not Anglo-Saxon, has by this sacrifice 



220 The Academy for Princes 

served his country most patriotically and heroically. 
Our country's need is not military praparedness but 
Christian knowledge and childlike faith in the Al- 
mighty and His Son, the Prince of Peace." 

Morgan: "Yes, and my old teacher Thorbj^rnnels 
was also a hero. You know how he struggled for 
25 years to keep his academy above the waves. 
Bookstead, too, is made of heroic metal. He had 
built up one academy on the frontiers, and then, when 
his territory began to assume a well settled appear- 
ance, he turned his school over to younger hands and 
went out West to become a pioneer schoolmaster 
again. I tell you — . Somebody is at the door. It 
must be Louisetta." 

Louisetta (returning from Danielson's) : "We had 
so much fun. Julia has been telling so much about 
the academy. I can hardly wait till the second of 
January." 

Morgan : "You are at last willing to go to the 
academy. It seems that the very best agents for a 
school are the students who attend it." 

Arentsson : "It is the personal touch. I know 
Catholic girls who have drawn Lutheran girls into 
convents in this way." 

Morgan : "I have been planning to let you take 
music lessons at the academy." 

Louisetta: "Goodie, won't that be grand. Will I 
have time for it?" 

Morgan : "The first year I attended the academy, 
I dM chores and washed clothes to make my way; the 
second year I washed blackboards and waited on 
tables. Yet I found time to take music lessons. You 
must find time by looking after the minutes. Our 
music teachers were Tilda Feensat and Ohnesta, and 
they were good ones, too. I hope the present teachers, 



Sacrifice 221 

F. Melius, Laura Rite, and Johannes Hill are as good. 
You go and play on the piano/' 

Arentsson : - "You have a bright girl there." 
Morgan : "Pretty fair. One of the reasons why I 
want her to go to the academy is the question of her 
possible future home life. A wife and mother ought 
to be better established in the truth than the husband, 
because most of the home instruction falls to her lot. 
Our mother used to sit at the spinning wheel and hear 
us learn our lessons aloud, and our father used to 
examine us when he was through with supper, as to 
w r hat we had learned during the day. That is a good 
Norwegian custom that I want to keep up in my line. 
And then I have thought a lot about the mixed marri- 
age problem. I really believe in mixed marriages from 
the physical standpoint. I would have had nothing 
against marrying a Swede or a Dane or an English- 
women or a German or almost any other nationality. 
I would have tried to learn my wife's native language 
and the history of her people, and I would have taught 
her Norwegian and things Norwegian. I trust my 
children will do as I would have done in case they 
should marry among some other people than their 
own. What I fear most is that they w r ill find a mate 
with a different Creed or none at all. 'Be not un- 
equally yoked together with unbelievers/ is a good 
Bible rule. Such a situation is not conducive to peace 
in the family. Husband against wife ; or, both in- 
different. The history of such mixed marriages in 
Scripture begins with dark clouds and a destructive 
flood. The descendants of Cain wxre ungodly ; the 
descendants of Seth were godly. The sons of Seth 
saw that the daughters of Cain were fair as the 
morning and united with them, but the offspring were 
a w 7 icked, ungodly brood. Solomon, the Wise, mar- 
ried an Egyptian idolatress and other heathen women 



222 The Academy for Princes 

to the undoing of himself and his kingdom. Ahab 
married the Sidonian Jezebel and brought untold woe 
upon himself and the Chosen People. I admit that 
Catholics and Reformed have a good deal of the Gos- 
pel, enough to save anyone who will believe the truth 
in Christ Jesus, but I know that they have also a good 
many heresies, many of which might be the means 
of barring a soul from Heaven. I want my children 
to marry Lutherans, Lutherans who have been trained 
to be both Christian and churchly. If I send them 
to a Lutheran school they may there meet their future 
helpmeets/' 

Arentsson : "You are a shrewd one t you are. Still, 
you may be disappointed, for love is blind, you know." 

Morgan : "I have been trying to figure out the 
comparative cost of an education at church and state 
schools. Now, you have had much experience in the 
world and could help me some here." 

Arentsson : "Yes, sir. I shall try." 

Morgan : "Look at my lists. The first contains a 
statement of one seventh of the actual living expenses 
of my family apart from school, this being the average 
falling on each in the family. It does not include 
church and farm expenses. The room account in- 
cludes taxes, fuel, light and repairs. 

Board $ 74.65 

Room 53.99 

Clothes 42.00 

Wash 2.60 

Doctor and dentist 10.48 

Miscellaneous 10.70 

Total $194.42 

It costs me to keep house nearly $200 for each one 
of us. At that we live modestly. Now here is a list 
of expenses at high school, provided I lived in town, 



Sacrifice 223 

and provided I were sending the child to the town 
high school. I reckon 9 months at school and 3 
months at home, that is, the figures are for the year. 

At high school 

Living in Away from 

town home 

Board $ 74.65 $150.00 

Room . . 53-99 68.00 

Clothes 42.00 42.00 

Wash 2.60 5.00 

Doctor and dentist m . . . . 10.48 10.48 

Miscellaneous . . . 10.70 12.00 

Books and school supplies 15.00 1500 

Incidentals 10.00 10.00 

Total $219.42 $312.48 

Arentsson : "The cost of having a child at high 
school right at hand will then apparently cost only 
$25 more than the ordinary living expenses. And the 
cost of having the child at high school in town near 
by will cost about $118 above the ordinary expenses/' 
Morgan : "Next I have a statement of the cost of 
going to the academy. This includes the summer 
expenses at home. The academy estimate away from 
home presupposes that the child stays at the dormi- 
tory. Outside of the dormitory the expenses are apt 
to be higher. 

At academy 

Living in Away from 

town home 

Board $ 74.65 $100.00 

Room 5399 50.00 

Clothes 42.00 42.00 

Wash 2.60 5.00 

Doctor and dentist 10.48 - 10.48 

Miscellaneous 10.70 12.00 

Books and school supplies 15.00 15.00 

Incidentals 10.00 10.00 

Tuition 36.00 36.00 

Fare . . . 10.00 

Total . . . $255.42 $290.48 

Arentsson : "The tuition is the only item against 
the academy — $1 a week. What a sacrifice in the eyes 



224 The Academy for Princes 

of some. That dollar is as big as the full moon. You 
can hide the sun with a dollar if you hold it close 
enough. You can place it between yourself and the 
Savior, the Bright and Morning Star, the Sun of 
Righteousness, the Light of the World." 

Morgan : "The academy board and room is cheaper 
and makes up for the tuition. Danielson is right. It 
will cost $22 less to send the child away to the acad- 
emy than away to the nearest high school." 

Mrs. Morgan : "I have heard so much complaint 
about the increase of expense at our college. We 
have put up new buildings and provided an endow- 
ment fund, and still it costs more than ever to attend. 
I can not understand the reason." 

Arentsson : "The reason is simple. Money that 
has been raised to erect new buildings has been spent 
on new buildings. Money that has been raised as an 
endowment fund goes into such a fund, the interest 
of which is applied to running expenses. Both of these 
reduce expenses, as intended. For, if there were no 
dormitory buildings, the boys and girls would have 
to room and board down town. This would increase 
the cost of living and the difficulty of school super- 
vision. And again, if there was no endowment fund, 
the interest of which helped to pay the teachers, jani- 
tors, and coal bills, then all of the salaries and running 
expenses not covered by tuition would have to be paid 
by the Congregations. There are several factors that 
make expenses go up : The cost of living is higher at 
school as well as at home ; the attendance is larger, 
requiring more teachers ; the salaries of the teachers 
have been increased on account of the increased cost 
of living. We have no kick coming at the expense 
of our college. It costs our Synod less than 10 cents 
a soul per year." 



Sacrifice 22 5 

Morgan: "J have also worked out a comparative 
list of college and university expenses. I do not refer 
here to professional courses at the university, which 
are much higher. These lists include the three sum- 
mer months at home, which costs about $50." 

At state university- 
Living in Away from 
town home 

Board $ 74.65 $150.00 

Room 53.99 75.00 

Clothes 42.00 42.00 

Wash 2.60 5.00 

Doctor and dentist 10.48 10.48 

Miscellaneous 12.00 12.00 

Books and school supplies 20.00 20.00 

Incidentals 25.00 25.00 

Fare 10.00 

Total $240.72 $34948 

At church college 
Living in Away from 

# town home 

Board $ 74.65 $120.00 

Room -? 53-00 50.00 

Clothes 42.00 42.00 

Wash 2.60 2.60 

Doctor and dentist 10.48 " 10.48 

Miscellaneous 12.00 12.00 

Books and school supplies 20.00 20.00 

Incidentals 17.00 17.00 

Tuition 36.00 36.00 

Fare \ 10.00 

Total ^268.72 $320.08 

Arentsson : "It w r ill cost less to send a youth away 
to college than to the university. According to your 
reckoning, it will cost about $300 to attend the uni- 
versity away from home, and $270 to attend college. 
The college cost less than $150 a year in my youth. 
Living was cheaper." 

Morgan: "Note that these figures include the ex- 
penses for the summer vacation at home, clothes, doc- 
tor and fare. It does not include church expenses. 
How large should they be?" 



226 The Academy for Princes 

A^rentsson: "They ought to be one-tenth of the 
whole income, and in this case of the whole outlay. 
The money can be given to the Church by the student 
with the advice of parents and pastor/' 

Morgan : "Note also that sending a youth to acad- 
emy costs only from $60 to $95 more than having him 
at home doing nothing, and the cost of sending him to 
college costs only $75 to $125 more than having him 
home doing nothing. Jesus says, 'Which of you, in- 
tending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and 
counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish 
it? Or what king, going to make war against another 
king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether 
he be able with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against 
him with 20,000?' Is it worth while to give my chil- 
dren a higher education ? It will cost me at the present 
prices from $95 to $125 a year more than staying at 
home doing nothing. Four years at the academy will 
cost my girl or boy from $250 to $400 more than if 
they staid at home and got no education. Is $400 
too much to pay for a Christian education, a princely 
training? Yes, it will pay to invest this money. If 
I cannot make it all myself, they can scratch for it 
themselves during the summer months, besides work 
on the side during the school year. Is it then worth 
while to give them a princely training at a church 
academy and college? Yes, a thousand times yes. 
The expense is only trifling in comparison with the 
returns. In the light of the sacrifice of the fore- 
fathers, the martyred sires — ." 

Mrs. Morgan : "Julia was telling about two boys 
who remarked that they had been at the academy 
three months, and were not Christians yet. Are you 
sure that the academy will make Christians?" 

Arentsson : "One of the Twelve was Judas Is- 
cariot. Many a church member denies His Lord and 



Sacrifice 



227 



Master like Peter at the trial. Nevertheless, it is pos- 
sible to find Him wherever His Word is taught in 
truth and purity, and many there are that do find 
Him." 

Morgan: "The clock strikes 12. The year is dying 
in the night. Come, children, let us sing a New Year's 
hymn." 

All: 

"O God, our Help in ages past, 
Our Hope for years to come — " 

Mrs. Morgan : "The phone is ringing. " 
Morgan: "Hello. Is it you, Danielson? Happy 
New Year to all ! Thanks. The Lord bless thee and 
keep thee, too. And say, I have made a New Year's 
resolution. — Listen then : 

"The Academy for my princes and princesses!" 




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I. BOOKS BY O. M. NORLIE. 

A. AS AUTHOR. 

i. "A Guide to Literary Study," Milwaukee, 1901. 
47 pages. Paper. For sale by Augsburg Publishing 
House, Minneapolis. 25 cents. 

A clipping from "Stoughton High School Days," Novem- 
ber, 1902 : 

"This little book has been endorsed by a hundred leading 

literary critics, teachers and journals. The following university 

men have all commended it highly : 

W. J. Alexander, Ph.D Professor of English, Toronto University 

F. E. Bolton, Ph.D Professor of Pedagogy, Iowa University 

H. E. Bolton, Ph.D Professor of History, Texas University 

W. H. Browne, M.D Professor of English, Johns Hopkins University 

R. Burton, Ph.D Professor of English, Minnesota University 

W. B. Cairns, Ph.D Professor of English, Wisconsin University 

A. S. Cook, Ph.D Professor of English, Yale University 

W. H. Crawshaw, A.M Professor of English, Colgate University 

J. V. Denney, A.B Professor of English, Ohio University 

E. Dowden, LL.D Professor of English, Dublin University 

C. G. Dunlap, Lit.D Professor of English, Kansas University 

O. F. Emerson, Ph.D. .. Professor of English, Western Reserve University 

T. W. Hunt, Lit.D Professor of English, Princeton University 

R. Jones, Ph.D Professor of English, Vanderbilt University 

F. T. Kelly, Ph.D Instructor in Hebrew, Wisconsin University 

D. L. Kiehle, LL.D .Professor of Pedagogy, Minnesota University 

G. L. Kittridge, A.B..... Professor of English, Harvard University 

H. L. Koopman, A.M Librarian, Brown University 

A. Lange, Ph.D Professor of English, California University 

G. E. McLean, LL.D President, Iowa University 

G. MacMechan, Ph.D . .Professor of English, Dalhousie University 

C. Northrop, Ph.D President, Minnesota University 

J. E. Olson, B.L Professor of Scandinavian, Wisconsin University 

M. V. O'Shea, B.L Professor of Pedagogy, Wisconsin University 

W. H. Payne, LL.D Professor of Pedagogy, Michigan University 

E. Perrine, Lit.D Professor of English, Bucknell University 

S. Plantz, D.D President, Lawrence University 

T. R. Price, LL.D Professor of English, Columbia University 

C. A. Smith, Ph.D Professor of English, Louisiana University 

J. E. Spingarn, Ph.D., Tutor in Compar. Literature, Columbia University 
C. T. Winchester, J.U.D Professor of English, Wesleyan University 

The following indorsements are illustrative : 

"I have read it with the liveliest interest and find myself in 
perfect accord with the essentials of your scholarly treatment. 
I regard your treatise as a real contribution to literary method- 
ology and look forward with eagerness to the appearance of the 
book on the classification of poetry. The principles outlined on 
page 36 are the only ones, I am convinced, on which a science 
of literature can be constructed. That I shall call the attention 
of my students to your work, goes without saying." — Alexis 



232 Appendix 

F. Lange, Ph.D., Professor of English Language and Norse, 
University of California. 

"You have succeeded in making a most readable guide to the 
best things in literature free from statistical dryness and tech- 
nical heaviness. I wish a copy could be in the hands of every 
3 r oung person in the home and in the school. We then as. teach- 
ers should have little need to exhaust ourselves trying to make 
the blase youth of this skeptical, fiction-fed generation turn to 
Homer for refreshment. You have, it seems to me, put in your 
little book the essentials of literary criticism, quoting the best 
authorities and arraying the exposition clearly, effectively, per- 
suasively. I thank you for doing this work. Whenever I have 
occasion I shall recommend it both to boys and girls in school 
as well as older children who want a succinct statement of the 
rationale of literature." — J. C. Metcalf, A.M., Professor of 
English, Georgetown College, Ky. 

"I have read it with interest and have found in it much 
useful guidance and suggestion/' — E. Dowden, LL.D., D.C.L:, 
LL.D., Professor of English Literature in Dublin University; 
author of "Shakespeare," "Shakespeare, His Mind and Art," 
"A History of French Literature," "New Studies in Literature," 
etc. 

"Your 'Guide to Literary Study' I have read with interest 
and entire approval. Your exposition of the importance of the 
classical foundation as the indispensable basis of scholarship in 
the native literature is well conceived, and is expressed in terms 
of original force and insight that quite prevent your style from 
seeming in the least bit conventional." — Samuel Thurber, A.M., 
Master of English, Girls' High School, Boston; Chairman, Eng- 
lish Committee of Ten, N. E. A. 

"You have made a valuable contribution to educational lit- 
erature, and the 'Guide' can not fail to be of substantial service 
to all serious students of literature. Your treatment is so con- 
cise it might be worthily expanded into a larger volume." 
— W. H. Payne, M.A., LL.D., Ex-Chancellor of Nashville Uni- 
versity, Professor of Pedagogy, University of Michigan; author 
of "ScFence of Education," "School Supervision," "Short His- 
tory of Education," "Compayre's 'Elements of Psychology,' " etc. 

"I have just finished your little 'Guide,' and I want to write 
at once to tell you how much I enjoyed it, though of course 
I did not expect that it was written especially for me ! You 
have the best classification of poetry that I have ever seen, and 
your references and citations are simply prodigious." — Paul 
Bacon (with Allyn & Bacon, Publishers), Chicago. 

2. "Principles of Expressive Reading," 191 7. Cloth. 

Illustrated. Published by Richard G. Badger, The 



Appendix 233 

Gorham Press, Boston. For sale by Augsburg Pub- 
lishing House, Minneapolis. $1.50. 

A thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the 
University of Minnesota, 1908. 

3. "United Church Home Missions," 1909. Cloth. 
Illustrated. 200 pages. Published and for sale by 
Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis. 60 cents. 

"Here we have the first really modern English work on 
Lutheran Home Missions, and the General Council and other 
bodies of the Church would do well to make their mission 
work as clear, as graphic, in as ready a book for study as this 
most excellent volume." — Dr. T. E. Schmauk in "The Lutheran." 

"At our first reading this volume caught up our attention 
with a certain sustained eloquence and consecutive argument. 
As we read paragraph by paragraph, throughout the clearly out- 
lined presentation, we were brought to feel, that, whether we 
accepted or rejected the book, it held a message that went home 
to the center of our problem as a Church in this country." 
— Prof. C O. Solberg in "United Lutheran." 

4. "Ness Jubelskrift," 191 1. Cloth. Illustrated. 
154 pages. Published and for sale by Augsburg Pub- 
lishing House, Minneapolis. 50 cents. 

"Denne bog er skrevet i anledning af Ness menigheds femti- 
aarsjubilaeum, og den er m0nstergyldig. Der findes ikke, det 
jeg ved, en eneste saadan bog f0r. . . . Qm nogen af dem, som 
har holdt femtiaarsfest, skulde se denne bog, vilde de vist 
0nske : Gid vi ogsaa hadde en slig bog i vor menighed. Hvad 
vilde det ikke bety for de kommende slegter i vor kirke, om vi 
hadde en saadan skildring fra hver menighed i samfundet." 
— Prof. E. Kr. Johnsen in "Lutheraneren." 

5. "Den forenede norsk lutherske kirke i Amerika," 

1914. Art covers. 104 pages. Illustrated. Published 
by Augsburg Publishing House and distributed in 
the libraries of Norway in honor of the Norway 
Centennial. 

6. "The Academy for Princes," 1917. Cloth. Illus- 
trated. 240 pages. Published and for sale by Augs- 
burg Publishing House, Minneapolis. $1.00. 



234 Appendix 

B. AS EDITOR. 

7. "By the Christmas Tree," No. 5, 191 1. Paper. 
Songs with music, and recitations with program for 
Christmas. Published and for sale by Augsburg Pub- 
lishing House, Minneapolis. 16 pages. 5 cents. 

"This is a friendly little visitor that comes around every fall 
to make it easier for us to have a profitable and happy Christ- 
mas program in the church And there may be some who 

never used the one edited by Dr. O. M. Norlie in 191 1. That, 
too, was very good, indeed. Perhaps I ought to tell you when 
I consider one of these exercises good : it is when the words are 
appropriate and dignified, when the music is acceptable to Lu- 
theran church people, and when the children like it, take hold 
of it, and sing it with a vim." — Rev. Olaf Lysnes in "United 
Lutheran." 

8. "Lutheran Almanac for 1912/' 191 1. Art covers. 

Illustrated. 104 pages. Published and for sale by 

Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis. 10 cents. 

" 'Lutheran Almanac for 1912' indeholder saa udmerket laese- 
stof, at den burde udbredes i tusenvis, ja hundretusen — om 
muligt millionvis — blandt dem, som kan laese og forstaa det 
engelske sprog. Pastor Norlie har forfattet det meste af ind- 
holdet, og hans artikel 'Lest We Be Robbed' er et mesterligt 
stykke arbeide, greit og grundigt, interessant og overmaade 
nyttigt og gavnligt for b0rn og voksne. Hans arbeide er let 
at forstaa, og paa samme tid er det grundigt, baseret paa om- 
fattende, samvittighedsfulde, videnskabelige unders0gelser og 
fakta, som man kan lite paa." — Rev. A. H. Gjevre in "Luther- 
aneren." 

9. "The Church and Her Child," 191 1. A confirma- 
tion book. Cloth. 106 pages. 30 cents. Published 
and for sale by Augsburg Publishing House, Min- 
neapolis. 

Contents: i. Confirmation. Rev. Olaf Lysnes. — 2. Chris- 
tian Education. Rev. O. M. Norlie. — 3. The Word of God. 
Rev. Th. Eggen. — 4. Baptism. Prof. Ole G. FeHand. — 5. Com- 
munion. Rev. Gustav Stearns. — 6. The Church. Rev. George 
Taylor Rygh.— 7. The Lord's Day. Rev. C E. Sybilrud — 
8. Prayer. Rev. John Peterson. — 9. Amusements. Prof. Nils 
Kleven. — 10. Temptations. Prof. C. O. Solberg. — 11. Faithful- 
ness unto Death. Rev. Edward Nervig. 

Contains also blank pages for Remembrance of Confirmation 
Day — My Confirmation Classmates — The Confirmation Sermon — 



Appendix 235 

Congregations to Which I Have Belonged — The First Com- 
munion Sermon — My Pastors. 

10. "Alterbogen" (official revision), 1912. Cloth. 
441 pages. Published and for sale by Augsburg Pub- 
lishing House, Minneapolis. Four styles, $1.50, $2.00, 
$2.50 and $3.00. 

11. "A Free Text Church Postil," 1913. Cloth, 356 
pages. Published and for sale by Augsburg Publish- 
ing House, Minneapolis. $1.50. 

"Church postils are of great value. They contain as a rule 
very choice sermons. These can be read for edification by 
those who intend to go to church, and by those who 
are obliged to stay away from services. They can be read 
by some deacon when there is no preaching on Sundays, and 
they can be read by the pastor with profit after he has prepared 
his Sunday sermon. They are of historical value, showing how 
and what the pastors of an age preach. An interesting example 
of the dogmatic value of church postils is recorded in a news 
item in 'Kirketidende,! 1882, p. 632. The Norwegian Augustana 
Synod was in session. The president of the Synod, Rev. Ole 
Andrewson, in his message mentioned the fact that this Synod 
was attacked because it did not state definitely (in theses) its 
teachings on the questions that were so warmly debated by the 
Norwegian synods in the eighties. The Augustana pastors did 
not care to enter the scholastic contest. 'But,' said Andrewson, 
'let us publish a church postil, so that coming generations may 
know from it what we have taught.' 

"Many good church postils have been published in Norwe- 
gian and in English as well as in other languages. The pastors 
joi the Norwegian Lutheran Churches of America have published 
several already, but this is the first one by them in English 
dress. The book is therefore an epoch-maker. It will, at least, 
in the course of time, be of more than ordinary interest because 
it is the first of its kind in the Norwegian Lutheran Church. 
It is an excellent collection of sermons. 

"It contains 69 sermons on 68 texts by 55 representative 
pastors. The sermons are a credit to their authors and. the 
book is a credit to our Publishing House. The book has four 
indexes: 1, Sundays and Holidays; 2, Authors; 3, Texts; 
4, Themes." 

"Ein durchaus ansprechendes Predigtbuch. . . . Unter den 
Xamen bemerken wir einmal den uns bekannten Prof. Dr. F. A. 
Schmidt, er diefert die Pfingstpredigt. Zwei Namen sind uns 
bekannt als friihere Studenten unserer Anstalt Capital Uni- 
versity, namlich die PP. G. T. Rygh und E. T. Rogne. Die 
Texte sind aus beiden Testamenten gewahlt, meist kurz, aber 



236 Appendix 

im Anschluss an das Kirchenjahre. . . . Sonst sind die Predigten 
anregen, erbauend, recht fiir die Gegenwart und ihre Bedurf- 
nisse, auch lehrhaft im Inhalt. Die Textwahl ist hie und da 
besonderns lobenswert, greift auch kopenreihen zuriick. Voll- 
standige Register sind beigegeben. Eine Postille von so viele 
Predigern ist an sich schon ein interessantes Werk, und viele 
unserer Prediger werden gerne einmal priifen wollen, wie man 
das lutherische Evangelium unter den norwegischen Brudern 
verkiindigt." — "Lutherischen Kirchenzeitung." 

C. AS JOINT EDITOR. 

12. "Norsk-engelsk s0ndagsskolesangbog," 191 1. 
Cloth. Norwegian-English word edition, 409 pages, 
35 cents. Norwegian word edition, 231 pages, 25 
cents. English word edition, 178 pages, 25 cents. 
Published and for sale by Augsburg Publishing 
House, Minneapolis. (Music edition prepared, but 
not published.) Rev. N. B. Thvedt, joint editor. 

13. "The Lutheran Hymnary, Junior," 1916. Cloth. 
Norwegian-English word and music edition, 231 
pages. Published and for sale by Augsburg Publish- 
ing House, Minneapolis, Minn., and Lutheran Pub- 
lishing House, Decorah, Iowa. (Prof. D. G. Ristad, 
Prof. M. O. Wee, Rev. L. C. Jacobson, and Rev. L. P. 
Thorkveen, joint editors.) 

"If we stop to reflect a moment, most of us will agree with 
the committee that the songs learned in our Sunday school and 
parochial school should be the ones that children will later sing 
as communicant members of the Congregation. In the same 
manner as the child is taught the rudiments of Christian theology 
through the Catechism and the Bible History, should he also 
be taught the words and tunes of our most priceless church 
songs and chorals. Why not teach our children hymns and 
tunes that will sound familiar when they get to church, and not 
teach them a whole lot of songs that they will never hear after 
Confirmation? And the songs most cherished are the ones 
learned in youth. We would respectfully urge all who examine 
this book to read the preface before they condemn the book." 
— H. P. Grimsby in "United Lutheran." 

"This book is designed especially for use in schools of various 
kinds and grades : Sunday schools, parochial schools, academies, 
and colleges. It may also very well be used in young people's 



Appendix 237 

societies, ladies' aid societies, and other gatherings. Also prayer 
meetings. But when the editors tell us that the book is intended 
especially for school use, the pedagogical idea comes in there, 
and it would be well if more parents and teachers gave this 
due consideration. . . . 

" 'The Lutheran Hymnary, Junior/ is the most consistently 
bilingual book that we ever saw. Headings, indexes, words, 
prefaces, titles, and contents, — all are given in both English and 
Norwegian, side by side. Most of the Congregations of the 
three Synods directly interested in this book are in the bilingual 
stage. Here you can have a hymn with both languages on the 
same page 

" 'The Lutheran Hymnary, Junior' proved to be a surprise to 
me. I have tried out every melody in the book. I had expected 
it to be altogether too difficult and 'grown up' for its con- 
stituency. I am happily disappointed. But this little book is 
good not only for schools, but also for the home. Use it in the 
home. And if it is permissible for others to supply the public 
schools with poor music, it is also permissible for some of you 
who read this to supply a country school house with The 
Lutheran Hymnary, Junior.' " — Olaf Lysnes in "The United 
Lutheran." 

D. AS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. 

14. "Norsk lutherske prester i Amerika, 1843-1914," 
("Prestekalenderen"), 1914. Cloth. Illustrated. 624 
pages. 

"Norsk lutherske prester i Amerika, 1843-1915," 

1915. Cloth. Illustrated. 695 pages. Published and 
for sale by Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapo- 
lis. $2.00. 

Contains a general history of the Norwegian Lutheran church 
work by decades, a sketch of each of the 14 Norwegian Lu- 
theran Synods, biographies and photos of over 1,800 Norwegian 
Lutheran pastors and theological professors, indexes of pastors' 
birthplaces, schools, books, professors, missionaries, deaths and 
names, besides tables, maps, and diagrams. About 8,000 letters 
and 23,000 circulars were sent out to secure the information. 
About 60 per cent of the collected material was secured through 
this correspondence, 40 per cent through books and periodicals. 
The assistant editors were Revs. K. Seehuus, A. M. Arntzen, 
A. L. Wiek, and Profs. M. O. Wee and L. Lillehei. 

''Dr. Norlie's book is a mine of detailed information about 
the many Norwegian-American pastors w r ho have labored and 



238 Appendix 

gone to their rest, and of the many who still are busy in the 
vineyard of the Church of God." — G. T. Rygh in "United 
Lutheran." 

"Boken ar amnad att vara den forsta af en serie bocker och 
skulle de foljande behandla : forsamlingarna, synoderna, publi- 
kationerna, skolorna, hemmissionen, hednamissionen, barmhartig- 
hetsarbetet, kyrkoforeningarna, teologie diskussionerna, histo- 
riska dokumenten, etc, Det blir en intressant och varderik 

serie, och borde mana var synod til efterfoljd Markligt 

ar att de som verkat i de olika synoderna kommit fran fjorton 
olika nationer, de fiesta fran landsbygden. Tretton aro fodda 
i Sverige, tretton aro fran Augustana seminariet. Boken inne- 
haller 300,000 fakta " — Dr. John Telleen in "Augustana." 

"Det har ogsaa med rette vakt stor opsigt, og f0rste oplag 
blev revet med i en fart. Nu har vi faat et nyt oplag, som er 
f0rt op til iaar, og det hele er gjennemgaat og rettet." — Prof. 
E. Kr. Johnsen in "Lutheraneren." 

15. "Norsk lutherske menigheter i Amerika, 1843- 
1916," 1917 ("Menighetskalenderen"). Two volumes. 
Cloth. Illustrated. Ca. 2,000 pages. Published and 
for sale by Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapo- 
lis, Minn., and Lutheran Publishing House, Decorah, 
Iowa. (Prof. T. O. Tolo, Rev. D. Kvaase, Rev. K. Kas- 
berg, Rev. C. M. Hallanger, Rev. E. M. Stensrud, 
Rev. L. C. Jacobson, Rev. A. M. Arntzen, Rev. A. L. 
Wiek, and Prof. L. Lillehei, assistant editors.) 



II. ARTICLES BEARING ON RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION, BY O. M. NORLIE. 

a. IN "SCHOOL EDUCATION." 
"A Child Study Experiment," May, 1904, 18. 
b. IN "LUTHERANEREN." 

1912. "Samfundstoget" (billedet), 568. 

1913. "Det f0rste aarti," 1303-06. 

"Den norsk-engelske S0ndagsskolesangbogen," 136-67. 
"Det andet aarti," 1368-69. 
"Det tredje aarti," 1428-31. 
"Det femte aarti," 1525-27. 
"Det sjette aarti," 1557-59. 

1914. "Rapport fra nimandskomiteen," 230-31. 

1915. "Lundes 'Sp0rsmaal for katekisation,' " 339. 
"Anmerkninger til 'Protest' i 'Lutheraneren,' side 617-18," 

678-81. 
"Anmerkninger til 'Tak — og lidt til 5 i 'Lutheraneren,' 

side 792-93," 882-84. . 
"Minnesota General Laws, 191 1, 356.1 — et punkt," 1394-95. 

1916. "Lutheran Hymnary, Junior," 66-68, 1 16-19. 

c. IN "UNITED LUTHERAN." 

1909. "The United Church Home Missions," 3, 19, 35-37, 51-53, 

67-69, 90-91, 107-09, 124-25, 140-41, 154-56, 170-73, 186-87, 
203-05, 221, 234-37, 251-53, 266-69, 282-85, 300. 
"The Bible and the Young People's League," 731-33, 

747-49- 

1910. "Reformation Dawn," 42-44. 
"Prayer," 92-93. 

"The Synod and the Young People's League," 103, 106-09. 
"Hunt's 'Lutheran Sunday School Handbook,' " 110-11. 
"Why Is the 'Child the Central Problem of the Universe' ?" 

196-97. 
"The Teacher's Personality," 267-69. 
"Spencer's 'Education,'" 284-87, 302-03, 317-19. 
"How to Use the Y. P. L. Topics," 462. 
"Talents," 506-07. 
"Corporal Punishment," 621-23. 
"Proselytism," 627-28. 
"Nehemiah," 633. 
"Mixed Marriages," 669-70. 

"Christian Education," 346, 690-91, 707-08, 732-33. 
"Luther and Lenker," 795, 805-06. 

191 1. "Monasticism," 41-42. 
"The Test," 75-77. 
"Augsburg Confession," 380. 

"Tangjerd's 'Vidnetjenesten' and Lunde's 'Vaagn op' and 

'Livssp0rsmaal,' " 527, 791. 
"Guarding against Religious Fads," 651-52. 
"Why the Reformation Failed in Some Countries," 682-83. 



240 Appendix 

1912. "Centralization of Control and Localization of Interest," 

12-13, 29-31, 46-47, 59-6o, 94-95. 
"Salaried Officials of Boards," 266-67, 284-85. 
"Blunder in Our Almanac," 322-23, 340-41, 354-56, 380-81. 
"HoVerstad's 'Programhjaelp,' " 763. 
"An Apology for the Church," 620-21, 638, 654-55, 669, 

686, 701-02. 
"Lunde's 'Explanation of Catechism,' " 814-15. 

1913. "Lunde's 'Explanation of Catechism/ " 14-15. 

"Paid Secretary of Board of Education," 93-95, 109-11. 
"Fedde, Farseth and L0kensgaard," 142. 
"Norwegian Lutheran Higher Schools, 1912," 190. 
"Unchurched Brethren," 205-07. 
"Language Study in Our Schools," 246. 

1914. "Lunde's 'Questions for Catechization,' " 100. 

1915. "The Language Situation in the United Church," 131-34, 

146-50, 162-65, 186-87. 
"Stellhorn's 'Der Schriftbeweiss des lutherischen Kate- 

chismus," 309. 
"Luther's Works, I," 331. 
"An Ibsen Text Book, with Chart of Ibsen's Works," 

466-67, 538, 553- 
"School Carols," 565. 

"Sheatsley's 'To My Sunday School Teacher,' " 565. 
"Essential Place of Religion in Education, with a Plan 

for Introducing Religious Teaching into the Public 

Schools," 738-39, 756-57, 772-73, 788-89, 804-05; 824-26. 
"Schmidt and Schuh's 'Through Luther to Liberty,' " 832. 

1916. "Fonkalsrud's 'Scandinavian-American,' " 21-22. 
"Schuh's 'Catechisations' and Golladay's 'Sermons on the 

Catechism,' " 59. 
"Eliassen's 'Konfirmert og hvad saa,' " 220. 
"San Diego," 290-93, 300. 
"Nothstein's 'My Church,' " 420. 
"Monson's 'The Difference,' " 420. 
"Luther's Works, II," 453-54. 

"Sigmond, Bersagel and Boe's 'Concordia,' " 500. 
"Two English Proverbs," 514-15. 
"When the Schools Open," 574, 5$8. 
"As Rain and Snow," 756-57. 

d. In "United Church Home Missions," 49-56, 95-137. 

e. In "Ness jubelskrift," 150-54. 

/. In "Den forenede norsk lutherske kirke," 42-65. 
g. In "Lutheran Almanac for 1912," 20-52. 
h. In "The Church and Her Child," 19-37. 

i. In "Lutheran Hymnary, Junior," Preface, III-XVII. 

/. In "Prestekalenderen," 25-26, 29-30, 34"35, 38-39, 43"44, 49- 

55, 629-57. 
k. In "Menighedskalenderen." 

/. In Dr. J. S. Johnson's "Minnesota," 243-55. 
/;/. In "Den forenede kirkes aarsberetning," 1913, 408, 4 I 5 _I 6; 
1914, 64-67. 



